Persona: A Novelization 4
by RionAgrias
Summary: If Persona 4 was a novella, loosely based. There is one OC, out of request. The battle style is also written differently from the actual game style, so please bear with me. I am editing every chapter. Bear with me as I slowly fix grammar and formatting.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
I am butchering dialogue, battles, and s-links to get the novel version respectable. I can make characters more cynical, mean, out of character, and amusing. My character is "special" personality-wise. My character is a compilation of all members of my mythology club. The personas are more integrated in battle. (Think Nocturne)

Language is by far the biggest issue in this story because it is the novelization of P4. A lot of the story is close to the same, so expect some to be word for word. That means language won't be the nicest at times. Some Chapters are much better than others.

I do have one OC that is in here that messes with the story. If you believe it interferes with a novelization that much, then I suggest you do not read this fic.

You know what I own… Nothing! Atlus and Atlus-USA owns SMT and Persona.

Thoughts are mixed in with speaking, but it will clearly say, he or she is thinking that or this.

I tried to reformat it a little bit, but bear with me. This first chapter is the weakest, story-wise. Don't judge my skills based on this.

_Shadow speak..._

* * *

"Over here!" a man called. "Hey, my name is Ryotarou Dojima. I'm your mother's brother. Do you remember me?"

Souji only responded as "…."

"Well you may not remember me, but I used to change your diapers when you were a baby," Ryotarou said with a chuckle while shifting slightly. A small girl is hiding behind Dojima and looking rather shy. He had just walked down from the train station after a long five to six hour ride, and he was rather tired already. He was in Inaba, or the middle of nowhere according to Souji. He would miss the big city. He was popular at his old school. When his teacher announced he was leaving, the whole class was on their knees begging him not to leave.

"….," was the response as Souji stood below the bottom step of the train station. Dojima did not seem to find that remark very amusing. He looked at the small girl with a curious look. She had pigtails and a pink blouse, white socks, and brown loafers. The little girl seemed scared of the newcomer that would be living there for a year.

"Are you scared of Souji?" Dojima asks, "This is my daughter Nanako, Souji. Why don't you introduce yourself Nanako?"

The girl shifted very apprehensively. "H… Hi," Nanako whispered softly. She really was as shy as she seemed.

"What's wrong?" Dojima asked in jest. "Are you that shy?"

Nanako replied by hitting Dojima on the back. He was making fun of the little girl. Souji thought to himself, "This is a weird family."

"Hey, hey…." Dojima replied, but there was no anger in his voice. He was laughing.

Dojima grabbed Souji's luggage from him, "So, I guess you'll be here for a year, while your parents are overseas."

"Yeah, I'll be here for my 2nd year," Souji said, "My parents are working in somewhere in New York."

Dojima smirked as he remarked, "I'm sure you'll find friends that will want you to stay for longer. Why don't we head towards my car and I'll drive you to my house." The three of them entered the car and drove off after Dojima placed the luggage in the trunk.

"Hold on Souji, I need to get some gas," Dojima said as he pulled into the station.

He was brought of his reverie by Nanako, who responded to his father, "Dad…. I need to use the restroom,"

An attendant greeted them when they had gotten to the station. It was a small gas station. Souji started to think that everything in this place was miniscule. "Welcome to Moei!"

Dojima sighed, "Okay, hurry," He asked the attendant, "Where is the bathroom?"

"In the back, on the left," the seemingly androgynous attendant remarked. He told Nanako "It's the side you hold your chopsticks on."

"I know," huffed Nanako. She didn't like someone insulting her intelligence.

Dojima looked at the gas station attendant and told he/she, "Fill it up while you're at it," He then said, "Now's a good as time as any for a smoke," as he grabbed a cigarette and briefly walked away from the station toward the shopping district.

"Well that isn't dangerous at all," Souji thought. Souji got out of the car and was met by the attendant, "Are you in high school?" the attendant asked.

Souji nodded and the attendant went on to say, "There isn't much to do in this town. You'll either be hanging out with friends or doing part-time jobs." The… he/she attendant went to shake hands with Souji and Souji accepted warily. He suddenly felt sick and started feeling woozy.

Nanako came back from the bathroom and saw his pale cousin. "Are you carsick?"

Souji didn't really know how he was feeling. Was he carsick, or just tired? Maybe he shouldn't have eaten that weird fruit he bought while waiting for the train. He shook his head and put his shoulder against the window while waiting for the car to get to Dojima's residence.

When he arrived at the house, Nanako dropped off his luggage in his room after they removed their shoes. They were eating dinner and sipping their drinks when the news came on.

"An affair involving Mr. Taro Namatame and Miss Mayumi Yamano has caused widespread response throughout the airwaves," the reporter was droning, "…according to this station."

Meanwhile, Souji started drifting off to his time on the train. Igor, Margaret, contracts about the year. Tarot cards and mysteries. "I don't remember what a Moon card represents, but I'm sure it isn't something good," Souji murmured in his sleep. A phone call brought him back into reality.

Dojima's phone rang and as he answered, "Yes… Yes, okay… I'll be there." Dojima looked at Souji and Nanako to tell them, "I need to go out. It's for work; I'll be late." He said right before he left, "It's raining, hang up the laundry."

Nanako changed the channel as dad left, "I already did!" Nanako told Dojima as he shut the door.

On the new channel there was a commercial for Junes, "Every day is Great at your Junes!"

Nanako sang it verbatim and Souji had to put his fingers on the ridge of his nose. It was an annoying song. Souji asked what Ryotarou did for work, and Nanako told him, "He helps solve things for people. He's a detective."

"Oh… so that's why he's abandoned you," Souji thought.

Souji decided to go to bed after they ate, and Nanako did as well. Nanako was still too shy to really talk about anything with him.

Souji made the trip up to his room; it was quite empty since he hadn't unpacked yet. It did have a TV, a table, a couch, shelves, and a desk to study on. Souji was so tired that he just went to the futon and fell asleep immediately. He hadn't even bothered to change clothes.

He was dreaming, or at least he thought he was…. It was foggy. He could not see ten feet in front of him. Souji had no choice but to keep walking forward. Before he knew it, Souji found his life at risk, or so he thought.

"There is no way this could be real, right?" as he ended up fighting something, or someone in the fog who kept taunting him. He couldn't hit the thing worth a damn. He never was good at baseball in Phys. Ed. and having a katana as a bat didn't help very much.

"Do you search the truth?" it kept asking.

"I don't know!" Souji yelled, "Am I?"

The fog ended up getting thicker before he woke up from the dream, pseudo-dream, or whatever.

As soon as he awoke, a knock came at the door, "Are you awake?" It was Nanako calling him, "You don't want to be late for school."

When Souji came down he saw that Nanako was making breakfast.

"Are you sure Nanako isn't Dojima's indentured servant or something?" Souji thought, "Because Nanako is doing all the work in the house."

Souji had to ask as he walked down the stairs, "Why are you making breakfast, Nanako?"

"Dad to leave early… besides… he can't cook, so I buy dinner," Nanako told Souji.

"So… what are you making?" Souji looked at the food with an eyebrow raised.

"I make toast," Nanako responded, "I can make sunny-side up eggs too."

"… He can't be that busy," Souji thought to himself.

They ate breakfast in peace. Surprisingly, the food was not half-bad. Eggs and Toast was not the hardest food to make in the world, and it showed.

"You're starting school today, right?" Nanako asked.

Souji nodded. It was pretty obvious that he was.

"I'll walk with you part of the way to school. It's on the way, Souji," Nanako smiled as they finished their breakfast.

Nanako walked halfway with him until she arrived at her school. The rain pattered over his umbrella and the clouds looked like they would not pass anytime soon. The droning and chatting of inane students wasn't that interesting. They were chatting about skipping class and the rain. "Why bother?" Souji muttered as people didn't even notice him.

As Souji got close to the school a student on a bicycle trying to ride with one hand on an umbrella and the other on the handlebar crashed straight into a pole. Souji walked right past him as he clutched his crotch, "That had to hurt. I should leave him alone."

Souji arrived to Yasogami High School with a few minutes and stopped to find out where his classroom was. To tell the truth, Souji had no idea where the hell his classroom was. It wasn't a large school by any means. It was nowhere the size of his old school. Sure, it was a gated school with three floors and nine classrooms, but it was only one building. "Worthless," Souji muttered. "My old one had five," Souji thought.

* * *

Meanwhile in Souji's prospective classroom,

Class 2-2 was arranged in the typical setting for a controlled environment. It was a classroom that may have been conducive for classroom management for the teacher, but not necessarily good learning environments for the students in a high school setting. It looked exactly like you think a normal classroom would. Students were milling around before homeroom began, talking about the new year of school. Not everyone was particularly happy about the approaching educators or studies.

"I hear we're stuck with Mr. Mooroka as our homeroom teacher," one student exclaimed.

Another student replied, "No way, that sucks. A whole year of King Moron and his long ass sermons, I should suspend myself now."

Another one said, "I heard we're getting a transfer student,"

"Boy or girl?" An interested boy asked from his seat.

An indiscrete girl who was wearing a black skirt and a green sweater that zipped in the middle with three badges on it was chatting with her friends, while the other students were chatting away. The girl had a brown hair with a haircut in a short bowl cut style. I guess you could consider her cute, but she looked more like a tomboy.

"A transfer student from the city… Just like you, huh, Yosuke?" the girl asked this Yosuke.

The boy, the one that ran into the pole with his bike responded, "Huh? Yeah," Yosuke wore black pants with a white shirt, while wearing a white jacket with a beige fur collar over it with fluffy brown hair. The hair kind of grew all over the place.

"What happened to you? You look dead," The brown-haired girl asked, after seeing Yosuke hunched over his desk.

"Don't ask…" the boy named Yosuke responded, obviously in pain, "I don't want to talk about it."

"It should be interesting at least," another girl said

She was wearing the same style of skirt, but also a red blouse with a yellow tie said. Her long black hair shimmered as if she brushed it a thousand times each day before coming to class. She seemed serious with a stoic smile, but her skin was flawless. She was rather pretty and a lot of boys stared at her when they entered the classroom.

"That'd make three transfer students, actually. Don't forget Rion," as the girl nodded towards a student wearing anything but the normal boys' uniform. He had a white undershirt, and over it, was a blue and white horizontal striped sweater. His hair was similar to the girl with a brown-blond color, but a little longer with a part to the left. He had reading glasses on, black frames, but no rims.

He was sitting next to the girl in red and only nodded in agreement before saying "I guess you're right, Yukiko." The boy's accent didn't fit his nationality at all. He pushed his glasses up with his left pointer finger, and pointed at the door was opening up.

"ALRIGHT, YOU IDIOTS… SHADDUP!" yelled a man with buck-tooth teeth and an ugly suit that screamed for braces. He walked in with Souji in tow to the front of the class. Souji looked like he did not care at all about being there. In truth, Souji cared about as much as posture displayed. "I'm your homeroom teacher, Mr. Mooroka, and I'll be wasting my time with you this year," he droned. "As long as I'm here, you will be as pure as the driven snow," Mr. Mooroka ranted on and on about more worthless information that no student would even care about.

"He doesn't stop, does he?" Chie voiced to the girl in red.

The students had begun to chat amongst themselves during Mooroka's tirade, so he quickly told them to shut up and said while nodding toward Souji, "We have a new transfer student; he's from the big city, and I'm sure he's as much of a loser as he was there." Mr. Mooroka looked annoyed. He seemed to be in a rush to rant on the students.

"You calling me a loser, buck-tooth?" Souji rolled his eyes at the teacher.

Mr. Mooroka had a vein pop in his skull as he yelled, "That's it. You're on my shit list, effective immediately."

The students looked shocked as Morooka went on another rant. He seemed very good at yelling... especially if it was about Souji's expectations that he was going to screw with the girls. "I don't want him to get any ideas about making any moves on these country girls. They aren't as sophisticated as your city girls, but what do I know, you are all on those My-faces and your Face-journals."

Souji didn't really give a rat's ass about angering this guy. This guy was probably as stupid as he looked. He just had to get through the year and he'll be fine.

"Umm… sir, can the new student sit here?" Chie, the student in green had raised her hand asked.

Mr. Mooroka calmed down slightly and said, "Fine, get your ass over there. Your seat's there!"

As Souji wandered over towards his seat he could hear students whispering about things like he was on Mooroka's bad side and how he could get suspended.

As he sat down the girl in green said, "He's the worse, huh?"

"Yeah, I agree," Souji said, "Grade A… Asshole."

"Guess we'll just have to deal with him until the end of the year," she said.

"SHUDDUP already!" Morooka yelled, "I'm taking roll and you better be quiet!"

"This is boring…," he thought as Morooka's lectures continued, "One day and I'm already waiting for the year to be over."

Mooroka continued to talk about this and that for hours on end. He had mentioned that this was the only day he would be doing a shortened lesson by himself. "This is unbearable. This guy is the King Moron. I wish I could shoot myself with a gun. He doesn't even like kids; he probably only does this for a paycheck," Souji was thinking to himself.

"Alright, that's all for today…," Mr. Mooroka said as the class let out a collective cry of happiness.

A bell chimed and out of a loud speaker a voice came, "All teachers please report for a staff meeting. Students remain in your classrooms until further notice."

Morooka told the students to shut up before leaving, while sirens were heard in distance. Police sirens, it seemed, by the flashes of red and blue.

They were near the school. Many students ran up to the windows to take a look. They were gossiping about various things.

"An incident, here?" a student said, "What do you think its about?"

The voice chimed again, "There has been a disturbance near the school area. Please contact your guardians or parents and have them pick you up."

Chie turned to Souji and asked him, "What is your name? I'm Chie Satonaka, and I sit next to you as you obviously noticed."

"Souji Seta,"

She gestured over to the two students in front of them, "Oh, this is Yukiko Amagi, and Rion Ishinata."

"It's nice to meet you," Yukiko said.

"Oh come on!" Chie said, "Don't be so formal!"

Rion rolled his eyes, "A pleasure, I'm sure."

The three of them saw the boy who had crashed into the pole earlier, named Yosuke looking scared and walking very slowly

The brown-haired boy named Yosuke came to Chie holding a DVD case towards her. "Miss… Satonaka… The way they moved was just amazing," He says to her in a panicked voice, "I'm really sorry. I'll pay you back when I get my next paycheck; I promise."

He runs off as Chie yells, "Hey wait up! What did you do to my DVD?"

Souji, Yukiko, and Rion hear a large crash that sounds like a foot cracking something important to guys.

Chie's voice becomes high pitched as she panics, "It's completely cracked. My Trial of the Dragon!"

"I think mine are cracked too. Major hit to the nads!" Yosuke was hunched over for the second time today.

"Let's go guys," Chie motions to the others, while Yosuke is in pain. Souji looks at Yosuke. He looks like he's in pain.

"I feel like I should help him," Souji thought, "but whatever."

"Are you alright?" Yukiko asked.

"A… Are you worried about me, Yukiko-san?" Yosuke asked hopefully.

"Let's ditch him and go, Yukiko," Chie said, as she shut the DVD case and headed out the door. The others, besides Yosuke, followed.

As the three of them headed towards the gates of Yasogami High School, a guy from a different high school approached Yukiko.

He approached her confidently and asked, "You're Yuki, right? You want to hang out sometime?"

"Who are you?" Yukiko asked.

Two boys who had walked up and one said, "What school is he from?"

The other one said, "Never mind that, he's going for Yukiko-san? You'd think he'd wait until she's alone, not when she's surrounded by her best friend, a martial arts champion, and the transfer student.

"I bet you he gets knocked out!" the first one said.

"No way, I know how difficult the challenge is."

The creepy kid asked, "So, are you coming or not?"

"I… I'm not coming," Yukiko said.

"Fine!" the creeper yelled.

She innocently asked, "What did he want from me?"

"Duh... He was asking you out," Chie sighed.

"Really?" Yukiko asked.

"You had no idea?" Chie sighed, "But it was way over the top, how he called you Yuki."

"That is quite disturbing," Rion remarked. Souji noticed that Rion had a very monotonic way of speaking that never seemed to change. He also sounded sort of British.

"Is she that clueless?" Souji thought.

"Yo, Yukiko-san. Cut down another challenger, did you?" Yosuke replied as he came towards the trio with his bike in tow, "Kinda like me last year."

"I don't remember doing that," Yukiko said.

"Well, if you didn't know. Want to go somewhere sometime, Yukiko?" Yosuke asked hopefully.

"No, not really," Yukiko said,

Yosuke sighed while Rion replied, "Shot down again, buddy."

"Hopeless," Souji thought. "Good luck next time," said Souji.

"Thanks. I'll need it," Yosuke smirked, "Just don't mess with the new guy."

"Hey!" Chie yelled at him, "We just want to know more about him."

With that Yosuke rode off on his bike and they headed away from the school. The four of them were walking down the Flood Plain when Rion looked at the others, "So where are we headed?" he asked.

Chie looked at them, "I guess Junes."

"Then why did you clock Yosuke?" Rion asked.

"Cause he broke my DVD," she responded.

"Fair enough," he nodded.

They headed their way down the floodplains away from Yasogami toward Junes.

"So, Yukiko, another rejection, when are you going to get a boyfriend?" Chie inquired.

"Wha…What are you talking about?" Yukiko asked with a shocked face and a blush creeping up her cheeks.

While Souji inwardly chuckled, Rion responded, "You need to find someone, someday, Yukiko."

"It's not like… I've never had a boyfriend. I mean there just isn't…" Yukiko was rambling. You could tell she was nervous.

"Do you think she's cute, Souji?" Chie asked.

Souji thought about it, looking at Yukiko. He said, "Yeah, she looks cute."

"Stop it…," Yukiko pleaded, "Not this again."

Chie chuckled, "I'm sorry, but this is our chance to talk to someone from the big city."

So…. What is there to do here? Souji thought.

He voiced his question and Chie thought for a second, "Well, I think our dyes are famous. Oh… there is the Amagi Inn. It's run by Yukiko's family. Yukiko will take it over someday."

"It's not that famous," Yukiko said, shyly.

As they were walking down the Samegawa Floodplain towards Junes; they noticed the flashing lights and sirens from before, but they were much louder and distinct. The four of them stopped by where the commotion was coming from. There were a few people already gathered around the scene.

"I heard the body was found strung up on the top of the apartment," one housewife remarked.

Another housewife said, "No way, I heard it was that announcer lady we saw on the news. I heard a high school student found the body. "

This caught Souji's attention for a moment, but he brushed it off without a second thought, he thought it didn't matter.

"A murder," Chie said, "That's pretty out there, for Inaba."

"Well, we are a small town," Yukiko said.

As they crossing the crime scene a detective crossed their path. Souji recognized him as his uncle, Dojima.

"What are you kids doing out here?" he asked. "Damn school, they shouldn't have let you go out this way."

Do you know this person, Souji?" Chie asked.

His uncle responded, "Yeah, I'm his uncle. I'll be taking care of him this month. Why don't you kids just hurry home."

As the four of them were walking away from the crime scene, "Your uncle, a detective, this is going to be an interesting year," Rion said with a smirk, "I'm sure he'll be on your case all the time."

At the same time they heard Souji's uncle yell, "Adachi, quit acting like a rookie and get back here. You want to be sent back to the city? Go clean yourself up."

"I'd hope not, especially with a murder case here in Inaba," exclaimed Chie.

Souji did reply, "Yeah, wouldn't want too much excitement, I guess."

"Yo, Rion… Are you coming over to the back of Amagi Inn? You said you would teach me this Punt technique. You said it was supposed to make things go really far" Chie asked with a touch of excitement in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah," Rion headed with Chie and Yukiko as Souji headed away towards the Dojima residence.

Souji reached the Dojima residence as the horizon hit around five p.m. "Great… Two martial arts freaks, one who is apathetic as hell, and one who's obsessed with kicking people in the balls. Then there is another chick that seems smart, but is really a ditz when it comes to men," he thought to himself. He opened the door with trepidation and rolled his eyes as he came in.

"Hey, you're home," Nanako said as you came in, "Dad's not coming home tonight."  
They sat down to watch TV after getting something to eat. As the news came on, there was a solemn air in the news cast as they reported today's stories.

"Today in our town of Inaba, Miss Mayumi Yamano, who was having an affair with Taro Namatame was found dead hanging on an antenna. Mr. Namatame and his ex-wife were brought in for questioning, but right now nothing is for certain." The news went on and on about the murder of Miss Yamano and her life.

Nanako changed the channel as she said, "This is boring."

"Every day is Customer Appreciation Day at your Junes. Every day is great at your Junes!"

Souji heard Nanako repeat the jingle and he groaned… "This is going to be a long year," he thought.

The next day started out pretty much like the last. He headed out through the flood plains to his school. He did not plan on it to be very interesting, and it was not. The only interesting thing was that he helped Yosuke out of a trashcan when he ran into it, in front of the school. He ended up meeting more oddball teachers beyond that moron, who again lectured and called out his students. Sofue was some whacko wearing a headdress trying to point out with a dowsing rod who would answer the next question. Nakayama needed some face work and was an idiot. Souji questioned Hosoi's sanity. "I mean who the hell makes a damn puppet of himself?" Kondo seemed okay, but he made the students work too hard. Fifty laps around the school in an hour and a half, you got to be kidding me? Souji just wanted the day to end and the year to end, at that. Yosuke came up to him after school, and looked like he wanted to talk to him.

"Now what?" he thought.

"Hey, how you are adjusting to this place?" Yosuke asked, "You are the new guy, you know."

"I'm doing alright," Souji said.

"Alright," Yosuke said, "There isn't much here, is there?" He looked at Souji, "There is one thing we have that's special. Grilled steak!" Yosuke rolled his eyes at the obvious stupidity of it. "I'll treat ya."

Chie walked up to him, "Hey! What about me! My Trial of the Dragon!"

Yosuke clutched the bridge of his nose, "What, I have to treat you too?"

Chie looked at Yukiko, "Shouldn't he treat us Yukiko?" She looked at Souji and asked him, "Hey, we didn't a chance last time, you want to go with Yosuke? Rion is coming with us. Yukiko?"

"I have to work at the Inn, sorry," she responded.

"I guess, I have nothing better to do," Souji said with a bored tone.

"Okay. Let's go!" Chie said, slightly less enthusiastic, but still ready to go.

The four of them walked away from school, well three of them. Yosuke was originally on his bike until he crashed it, and then started with them.

"So, you moved because your parents are overseas? That's rough. A whole year, then." Yosuke remarked.

Souji just nodded in agreement.

They four of them were chatting animatedly. Well, most of the talking was done by Chie and Yosuke. At one point they got into an argument, and Rion had to intervene before Chie did some critical damage to Yosuke's lower body parts.

"Can't find much in the shopping district anymore," Chie said.

"And this is our fault?" Yosuke responded, "Just because I'm the son of the manager!"

Chie argued, "Did I say it was?"

Afterwards, Rion turned to Souji ,"If you feel like this place is annoying at the moment, you'll probably find something to like here. The eventuality of you discovering something to accomplish is abound to occur."

"Are you always this way?" Souji asked, "Do you always talk like this?"

"This is normal for me," Rion said, "I felt like I could protect people when I came here."

Souji just sighed, "You go on being the saint. Friends are found in more than just watching over them like a hawk."

To this Rion had no response for that, and Souji just rolled his eyes. That shut him up… "Why be a saint when you don't have to be," Souji thought.

By that time, Yosuke had left his chair and headed over to another table where an older girl was sitting down. She looked beyond exhausted.

"Hey Saki-senpai," Yosuke greeted her with a smile and a half-wave, "You look beat."

"Hey Yosuke-san, I'm on my break," the girl that seemed to be named Saki said. She looked exhausted.

"That's Saki Konishi, her parents run a liquor store in the shopping district," Chie said listlessly.

Souji asked, "Is that Yosuke's girlfriend or something?"

Chie chuckled, "I think he wants her to be. Yosuke is just too shy I think," She rolled her eyes, "He's one of those guys who would probably take any girl he can get."

After a little while, Saki had walked up to the table. She glanced at Souji and said, "Ohh.. I heard that Hana-chan's class got a transfer student. Don't mind Hana-chan, he's just a little nosy," She looked at her watch, "Oh, my break is almost over. I need to get back to work. See you Hana-chan."

Yosuke smiled, "Saki is nosier than me."

Souji just rolled his eyes. "Idiot…"

After listening to Yosuke talk about Saki, the conversation shifted back to normal stuff.

"Hey guys, have you ever heard about the Midnight Channel?" Chie asked.

Yosuke responded, "Isn't that some kind of urban legend."

Chie said, "I heard that if you look into a TV that's turned off at midnight, while it's raining you are supposed to see your soul mate.

Yosuke said, "There are a bunch of morons around here saying that Yamano is their soul mate, but that can't be true."

Rion muttered, "That does sound farfetched and rather ridiculous."

"It is a little out there," Souji said.

"Thank you," Yosuke said.

"Then, let's all watch it tonight, and then we'll all see if it's a legend of not, okay?" Chie told them.

There was nothing really important to add to the conversation. In a short while he said goodbye to the others and walked back to his temporary house. He said hello to the either energetic or complacent Nanako. In a few hours, a surprising thing happened; Dojima arrived to the house on time.

A miracle has happened, where is the Kodak camera when you need it?  
"I'm home!" Dojima exclaimed.

"You're late," Nanako replied.

Souji just shrugged while the older Dojima said, "Sorry, it was a mess down there," He pointed to the TV, "Nanako, can you turn it to the news?"

Nanako changed it to the news, and on the news was another story about the Yamano murder.

"How often are they going to ride this train?" Dojima asked.

The news reporter said, "Now we are going to give you an interview with the girl who found the body."

"How'd they find that out already?" Dojima obviously a little surprised.

They were bombarding the girl with questions. The girl who was obviously Saki Konishi looked flustered and nervous. She really could not answer the questions asked to her by the reporter.

"This is boring," Nanako said as she picked up the remote.

"Every day is Customer Appreciation Day at Junes. Every day is Great at your Junes!"

"God Help Us All!" Souji was screaming in his head.

"Hey Dad, can we go to Junes sometime?" Nanako asked.

Dojima was fast asleep.

Undeterred by this, Souji went upstairs and noticed that rain was coming down. He decided to try out the supposed Midnight Channel. He waited until it was around two minutes before midnight. Souji made sure it was still raining before staring into the TV.

Suddenly, as he was looking at the screen, it shifted colors from the murky black to a fuzzy yellow. In the middle of the yellow TV screen was an indiscernible female that was standing straight. He heard strange voices. "I am thou, and thou art I…" Souji put his hand forward and touched the screen, and it got stuck in the screen. "What is this! You got be kidding me!" Souji was thinking. He then stuck his head in. He forced his hand and head out of the screen with great force and bumped against the table in his room. His back wrenched against the wooden table and he silently cursed the table. The table broke his fall, but it broke his back in the process.

"Are you okay, Souji? I heard a loud noise?" It was Nanako. She must have awoken when she pulled his body out of the TV.

"I'm okay, you can go back to bed," Souji said.

Nanako just went back to bed mumbling something like "Kay..."

Next day after school, the four of them met up by Souji's desk to talk about what they saw on the Midnight Channel.

They all decided they saw the same female person, and then Souji decided to tell them about his hand going into the TV, and then his head.

"Man… That must have been one great dream," Yosuke commented,

Rion pushed up his glasses, "Sure you weren't on something?"

"Moving on…," Chie said, "But I loved the fact that you couldn't get all the way through because your TV was too small. That was great."

"Well I didn't expect much," Souji thought, "I didn't think they'd believe me."

"Well, Junes is having a sale on big-screen TV's, you might be able to fit into those, Souji," Yosuke laughed.

"Awesome… my parents said they were looking into buying a new TV, and I can see watching the kung fu movies on a big screen," Chie said with a little too much excitement in her voice.

They went with Yosuke to the Junes Electronic Department. The TV's were huge, ranging from 35" to well over 60" big. Most were LCD and Plasma, and far too expensive for the average person in Inaba to afford. Even with the sale, they were out of their price range of anyone.

Rion, Chie, and Yosuke tapped the largest plasma TV, and didn't go through, "Didn't expect to go through anyways," said Rion.

Yosuke said, "It's a plasma, you'd end up on the other side."

"Well... This is our top of the line model, Miss Satonaka. Perfect for watching your movies," Yosuke was marketing the TV's.

"Look at all these zeroes!" Chie exclaimed again, "It's so expensive,"

Yosuke brought her over to another, "This is a display model. Older but still good,"

I'm bored. I'll just touch this TV and see what happens. "Well I guess that would explain the emptiness of this department," Souji remarked.

As Souji touched the overly large plasma TV, his hand once again disappeared into the TV. There were white ripple marks where his hand was mixing with the TV. I wonder if I can stick more than my hand in here. He decided to put his head in. It fit in as well.

"Guys! Holy!" Rion said pointing at the TV where Souji's hand was blurring.

Chie and Yosuke had similar responses as all three of them ran towards the TV.

"You really weren't lying about that," Chie said in amazement.

"What's on the other side?" Yosuke asked, "What's the magician's secret!"

Souji had replied nothing and Chie responded, "What do you mean nothing?"

"It's really spacious in here, guys. There's room for everyone," he said.

"What do you mean, spacious!" Yosuke asked.

"This shouldn't be possible," Rion said.

"I think this is too much for my bladder to take!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"What! Are you going to pee your pants!" Chie asked.

Rion looked at him, "What does this have to do with your bladder?"

"I've been holding it all day!" Yosuke exclaimed, "I didn't have a chance to go!"

He was running back and forth when he noticed people coming, "Shit! Customers!"

"Guys! We have a guy stuck in a TV here!" Chie yelled.

"Well, let's get him out," Rion said.

The three tried to pull Souji out. "Hey that hurts," When they attempted to do that, all of them fell into the TV.

The world was the same yellow that Souji saw on the TV. There was also fog covering the area. The landing was not a very enjoyable one. It was quite painful. He fell rolling onto his back, which was already smarting from hitting that table last night.

"Damn, I landed on my wallet…" Yosuke said in pain as he hit the floor.

"Ow…" Chie exclaimed as she did the same.

"Tch," Rion said.

Souji just said, "Great… We landed in another dimension"

"Great…," Yosuke muttered.

"What? Did you relieve yourself?" Rion asked.

Chie looked aghast, "Did you pee your pants!"

"No…!" Yosuke answered, "Don't freak out like that, Chie!"

"Thank god…," Souji responded.

Chie looked around the area, "Where are we? It looks like a TV studio. On that note, how do we get out?"

"I don't know," answered Souji.

"I don't know, you tell me." Yosuke told her.

"Guys… I'm getting scared," Chie was getting a little worried, "I want to go home."

"Let's just walk around and try and find a way out of here," Souji said.

"I agree, or the two of them may find a reason to kill each other," Rion responded.

"Fine…" Chie said.

The four of them walked east down a path that seemed to lead to nowhere, "I think we're getting farther away," Chie panicky exclaimed.

Rion added, "The fog is denser in this area. It seems to make it slightly harder to breathe."

"Thanks for the report, genius…," Souji muttered to himself.

At this point they had reached a building and the four of them went inside.

"A dead end… Good job, Yosuke!" Chie punched him in the arm.

"This is quite the creepy living space, if it is in fact one," Rion pointed out to the others, looking at the noose at the center.

"Oh my god!" Chie exclaimed, "A noose! What, was someone going to hang themselves here?"

Yosuke suddenly rushed towards the side wall, "I can't hold it any longer."

"What you're going over there. Nasty!" Chie yelled.

"Don't look, I can't go if you look," Yosuke mumbled.

Rion turned around with Souji and Chie.

"What a loser," Souji said.

"Why didn't he go during school?" Rion asked.

Chie responded, "How should I know?"

Yosuke muttered, "I can't do it. It's your fault if my bladder bursts, Chie."

"See if I care," Chie said.

"Now it smells terrible in here…," Souji responded.

"Well excuse me. I had to go," Yosuke said turning around to face the three. Returning, Yosuke replied, "Much better. Hey guys, do you notice those posters on the walls?"

Rion said, "Yeah those are creepy. All those posters with the faces ripped off. I think I recognize them from somewhere,"

"I don't care," Chie wobbled slightly and then said, "I'm not feeling so good."

"Me neither," Yosuke said.

"This is not the most advantageous situation… We need to leave immediately. This fog seems to be draining our energy," Rion pointed to the open door.

"I am not feeling good either," Souji said.

"Does Rion always need to act like a know-it-all?" Souji thought.

"Let's go, guys," Chie said as she began to walk out.

It was beginning to get harder to walk down the hallway they came from, but eventually they made it down the path and to the central area they came in. They still couldn't see, and the fog was still tiring the four of them. Souji could not figure how much more he could take of the fog until he would collapse.

Rion said to them as they were struggling, "We need to find a way out very soon."

Suddenly, a squeaking noise was heard and something came from the fog. A mysterious something came wobbling towards them covered in fur. Was it a bear? Was it a monkey? Or a mixture of the two creatures?

"What is that?" Souji thought.

"Who are you guys?" The creature asked them.

Chie asked, "Ahh.. What are you? Are you a dog or something? You wanna fight!" She put up her fists.

"A monkey!" The creature looked affronted, "Who are you guys!"

"Where are we? And who are you" asked Yosuke.

"This place doesn't have a name, that's it," He replied, "Strange things have happened lately. What are you doing down here?"

Souji explained how they all fell in, landed down here, and encountered that dark room.

"You shouldn't be down here. It's getting dangerous here," the thing said.

"Well, it's not our fault, we're trying to get out of here, and you're not helping," Yosuke approached the bear.

The bear-thing looked frightened, and Souji told Yosuke to calm down. The thing hid behind Souji.

"Thank a-bear-y lot," the thing said, almost sarcastically.

"So, can you help us out?" asked Rion.

"I guess so, but you shouldn't come down here anymore."

Teddie produced a stack of TVs and pushed the four of them towards the TVs.  
"In you go,"

"Hey don't push," "Ouch," "That hurts," "….,"

When they landed they were back at the Junes' Electronic Department.

Rion picked himself up and off the ground, "Well, that was quite an experience. I'm not sure if I want to repeat it."

"Was that real? Did we really go inside a TV?" asked Chie.

"I guess so," Yosuke responded.

Souji told them all, "I think we need to head home and recover. We are probably tired from being there."

"Make sure you check the Midnight Channel, guys," Chie said as they started departed.

There was no disagreement from any in the group, and they made their departures towards their different living quarters.

"Welcome home," Souji heard as walked into his home, "Dad's going to be home today,"

Souji took it in with a nod, dropped his bag off in his room, washed up, and came back downstairs. By the time Nanako and Souji sat down together, Dojima had arrived home.

"You're late," Dojima chided.

"Hello, you two. I know, I know," Souji soothed them.

It ended being more instant and take out food because both of the Dojimas were lacking at cooking dinner. Souji felt like he could cook, but he felt far too lazy too.

"Whatever… I'm tired," Souji said.

Dojima turned on the news. They were still talking about the murder of Mayumi Yamano. Souji decided to go to bed early.

Souji walked to school and entered his classroom to see the others milling around. Some of the students were gossiping about different things.

It was not long into school that the school was called in for a special convocation.

"I heard Saki Konishi isn't at school today," one student said.

Yosuke motioned to him to stand next to him.

Sofue introduced the Principal of the School who took the stand and began to speak, "Today, tragically, we have lost a student who died this morning. Her name is Saki Konishi of class 3-2."

There was mumblings throughout the hall… Yosuke was one of the ones that seemed the most affected.

"No way… I mean we just saw her on the Midnight Channel, and now she's dead."

Chie and Rion attempted to comfort Yosuke, but were unsuccessful in doing so.

Yosuke confronted Souji after school, "I'm going back to that world today, I need to see if they are connected to each other. I need to find out why Saki died. Will you help me? We won't take Chie with us."

Souji said, "Alright, why not."

"Poor stricken lovebird. Whatever soothes him," Souji thought.

Chie came up to him, "Are you going to let him go?"

Souji nodded, "We won't be able to stop him."

It ended up that not only Yosuke and Souji went to Junes, but also Rion and Chie followed. They were outside the TV they entered in last time. Chie and Rion both had looks of anxiety and worry.

Yosuke told the two as he came up to them, "Don't worry, I won't let Chie come with us."

"Wha… Why not!" Chie exclaimed.

"It's too dangerous, the bear said so."

Chie continued to argue with Yosuke.

Yosuke managed to get away to hand a golf club to Souji, "In case we find something dangerous down there,"

Souji asked Rion if he was coming, "You coming along?"

"No, I'll be making sure no one comes along."

"Let's go Souji," Yosuke yelled at Souji from the TV.

"Chie, we need you to hold onto this." Yosuke held up a rope, "It's our lifeline, if we pull, you pull us back up."

"What is this! A… a lifeline!" Chie remarked, now in fright.

The two of them headed off and into the TV, Yosuke with the rope on holding onto Souji. Both Yosuke and Souji landed painfully in the TV world, but minus half the rope.

Meanwhile on the other side, Chie was holding onto the rope as the two were going down. She prematurely pulled on the rope, and it broke off. Chie and Rion looked around in surprise, and then in despair.

"Now what am I supposed to do?" Chie said, sinking to the ground, while Rion looked forlorn.

Back in the TV world, Teddie came bounding towards the two high school students. Teddie looked surprised to see them, and Souji and Yosuke were likewise.

"You guys! Why did you come back!" Teddie asked confronting them, "I get it! You're the ones behind all of it!"

"You're that thing from last time!" Yosuke exclaimed. He made the realization, "Wait… what did you just say!"

"Lately, I can tell someone has been throwing people in here. It's making this world more and more messed up," Teddie explained, "This is the second time you guys came here, and I don't think anyone forced you to come." He finished, "That means you're the most suspicious! You guys must be the ones throwing people in here!" Teddie growled at the pair of boys.

"Hell no!" Souji responded, "We aren't doing that shit!"

"What are you talking about, 'Throwing people in!'" Yosuke yelled, and he continued, "If someone was thrown in here, and they couldn't get out; they might die!" He asked, "Who would do such…?" He was thinking out loud, "Wait a sec… All this talk about throwing people in here. Does he meant Senpai and the announcer?" He asked Teddie, "Did that "someone" throw those two in there?"

Yosuke looked at Souji, "Hey… what do you think?"

"I think so," Souji said. He muttered, "Why… is it my problem?"

Yosuke did not hear the second part and said, "Yeah… I agree." He continued, "Let's assume he's telling the truth," looking at the bear before continuing, "Could it be… that someone is throwing people in here… to kill them? If that's the case…"

Teddie became frustrated with Yosuke's comments and spoke, "What are you guys mumbling about? Why did you guys come here for anyways? It's a one-way door! You can't get out once you're in!" He waved his left arm, "Remember! How I had to let you out last time!"

"Yeah, whatever," Yosuke said. He started holding up the rope, "We don't need your help this time! See, this time we have a lifeli…" He started panicking as he noticed the broken rope. "Whaaat!" He yelled at the bear, "Hey! You better let us out when we're done investigating here!"

The bear growled, "I'm the one that wants to investigate! I've lived here for a long time, but it's never been noisy like this!" He looked at Souji and Yosuke, "Do you have proof! Prove to me that you aren't the ones throwing people in here!"

"It doesn't work that way," Souji responded.

Teddie turned to Souji, "See, so it is you guys!"

Yosuke was getting pissed, so he gestured, "For the last time, it's not us, so we have nothing to prove to you!" He changed his tone, "Hey, you better answer our questions. It's not like last time when we came here by accident. We're dead serious! Listen up, because people have died in our world. Every time the fog appears, a dead body shows up with it. It has to be related to this place somehow! If you know something, tell us!"

Teddie looked perplexed, "A dead body? Whenever the fog appears? I know that if it's foggy on your side, the fog lifts on this side. It's really dangerous when the fog lifts. That's when the Shadows get violent.

"What the fuck are Shadows?" Souji thought.

Teddie was struck by a thought of genius. "Ahh… I get it."

Yosuke looked even more confused, "Huh? If you get it, then explain it to us, dammit! If it's foggy on our side, it isn't in here? Shadows get violent?"

Teddie looked frustrated, "That's why I said to hurry back! It's dangerous when that happens! Okay, no more questions. I know you guys did it! You better stop right now!"

Yosuke yelled, "I told you and told you, we're not the ones doing it! I've about had it with you! Why the hell aren't you listening to what I'm saying?"

"Because he's a bear?" Souji said.

Teddie looked bashful, "I… I'm just saying… you might be the culprits. I'm just making sure."

"Man, this bear is driving me nuts," Yosuke muttered. He looked around, "What is this place, anyways? It looks like a TV studio. Is something being filmed here?" He looked at the bear, "Hey… don't tell me… Is that weird TV show being filmed here?"

"Weird show? Filmed? What does that mean?" Teddie looked confused.

Souji answered, "He's asking if someone's being filming the people who have been thrown in here."

"I don't get it…," Teddie still looked confused, "This world has always been like this. No filming has ever taken place in here."

"It's always been like this?" Souji asked the bear.

"Only me and Shadows are here! That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Teddie exclaimed.

Yosuke was beyond frustrated, "Ugh… We don't know what these damn Shadows are… or what you are for that matter!" He exclaimed, "You keep telling us to prove our innocence, but you're the most suspicious thing here! Maybe you're the real culprit! And what's with that stupid costume! I'd say it's time you showed your face!"

"He's hiding something. It's about time we see what's underneath! Yosuke came at the bear and attacked the top of the bear. He pulled the top off, and underneath was… nothing! Both of them were extremely surprised.

"Whoa! What the hell are you!" Yosuke asked in somewhat fright, "It's empty inside!"

The teddy bear flipped the head back on, and repositioned it correctly.

"Me? The culprit? I wouldn't do such a thing," Teddie said, "I just live here. I just want to live here peacefully."

Yosuke looked shell-shocked.

Teddie said, "Okay… I'll believe that you guys aren't the culprits. But I want you to find the real guy who did all this. You have to stop him." Teddie had an evil smirk as he said, "Promise me… or else… I'm not gonna let you guys out of here."

"Bastard…" Souji thought.

Yosuke must have been thinking the same thing as he said, "Y… You little!"

Teddie explained, "This can't keep going on! My home here will be a complete mess!" Teddie frowned, "And then… and then… I" Teddie began to cry.

"What are you crying for all of a sudden?" Yosuke asked. He muttered, "Geez… this thing is really weirding me out."

Yosuke looked at Souji and asked, "Hey… what should we do?"

"I think we should go home," Souji thought. He knew he probably should not really say that to a person who lost his pseudo-girlfriend, "I guess so."

"Thank you!" Teddie said with tears in his eyes.

"Damn bear! Practically holding a gun to our heads," Yosuke shook his head. He said, "But it's true that we came here to figure things out. So far, we're completely in the dark. Look for the culprit, huh? Bring it on! You got my word, too!" Yosuke nodded, "Might as well introduce ourselves. I'm Yosuke Hanamura."

"Souji Seta," Souji nodded.

"What's your name?" Yosuke asked.

"Teddie," Teddie nodded.

"Figures," Yosuke said, "But how are we supposed to find the culprit in the first place?"

"I dunno," Teddie shrugged as best as he could, "Oh, but I know where the last person was thrown in."

"The last person? You mean Saki-senpai!" Yosuke got excited.

"I mean the person who came in and disappeared last time. I dunno the name," Teddie responded. He said, "I'll take you there. You might find some clues."

You should put these on," he brandished two pairs of glasses, a gray pair and a yellow pair.

"What are these glasses for?" Yosuke asked Teddie.

When they put them on, the fog cleared suddenly. They could see normally like they were outside.

"This is amazing," Souji told Teddie.

"It's like the fog doesn't exist here," Yosuke said.

"They'll help you walk through the fog," Teddie explained. He said, "Well, I've been here a long time, so you can rely on me!" He got nervous, "But… I can only show you where the place is. You guys will have to defend yourseves."

"What happened to relying on you?" Souji asked.

"We brought weapons, but I mean… they're more for show," Yosuke said, "We just got here! If it's so dangerous, why don't you do something instead of relying on us!"

"Umm… I'm kind of made of fabric, no muscles or bones," Teddie responded, "I'll give you guys moral support from a safe distance."

They both paled, and Souji tapped him, "Let's see." Teddie fell over like a balloon. They paled again. Teddie was wailing for help after Souji knocked him over.

"You have to be shittin' me!" Souji thought.

"Lame…," Yosuke muttered, "This is all the backup we get?"

Teddie asked them something from the floor, "Can I ask you something? Who is this Saki-senpai person?"

"That doesn't matter right now," Yosuke looked troubled. He looked at Souji, "Anyways, at least we know that Senpai might have been thrown in here. Now we might able to find some more information, let's go."

As they moved, Teddie called out to Souji, "Help!"

They decided to ignore it and headed off in the direction that Teddie told him the Saki was thrown in at. It was a perfect replica of the Shopping District.

Yosuke remarked, "Wow, it's the Shopping District… Is this what Saki saw?"

"I wonder if it's whatever the person thrown in wants it to be," Teddie said.

As they walked down the street, Teddie was shifting farther and farther behind them,

"Hey, what are you doing?" Yosuke asked. "Umm… nothing, nothing," Teddie responded.

"You better not getting ready to bail if something happens," Souji told the bear.

"Oh no, I just don't want to get in your way," Teddie tried to look innocent.

Souji and Yosuke shared a look that screamed, "What a liar Teddie is."

When they reached Konishi Liquors, the doorway had been replaced with swirling black and red. It was creepy and ominous, and it shone on Yosuke and Souji's face.

"Ahh! They're coming!" Teddie yelled.

Yosuke yelled back, "What's coming?"

"Shadows!"

He didn't have to wait to find out. Three circular creatures bounded out of the swirling area. They seemed to implode out of themselves to show large tongues. They came at Yosuke, Teddie, and Souji. Yosuke was knocked down, Teddie moved away, but Souji stood his ground. He heard a voice in his head, "I am thou, and thou art I. The time has come to open thine eyes and release the power within." A card was in his hand, and at the second the creatures were at his feet.

"Per-so-na!" Souji yelled.

A deity appeared. A large humanoid creature with a switchblade sword, clad in magnificent black and small lines of yellow; it faced down the "Shadows" with no fear. Suddenly, Souji was thrust into battle.

Teddie yelled from the sidelines, having regained composure, "These creatures have a weakness, find it."

Having noticed that his golf club had very little effect on the shadows, he called forth his "Persona". Hand-in-hand with the persona, he called down thunder and lightning with Izanagi. After hitting one of those Shadows, one of those spherical-tongue thingies fell over, and Souji hit it over the head. Rinse and Repeat. Souji and Izanagi completely destroyed the offending shadows. After defeating the shadows, Izanagi disappeared.

Yosuke responded as he came back, "That was insane. How'd you do that?"

"Sensei is awesome, that's how," Teddie said.

"Sensei? How come he's called Sensei?" Yosuke bugged Teddie.

"It's cause he has that cool power that can beat Shadows," Teddie responded. "Here, take this Sensei." He handed both of them medicine.

The three of them walked through the black and red into the Konishi Liquors store. It looked eerily like the exact liquor store, but Souji wouldn't know that. As a matter of fact, I hope Yosuke didn't know that either. About five steps within the store, voices were heard inside the store.

The voices were saying, "I can't believe she started working there. That Junes. The place of the enemy. It's because of there that all these places closed."

"What? What are they talking about?" Yosuke sounding surprised, "Who's saying these things?"

They continued with saying like these, "I never liked working there. I only worked there for the money. I never liked anyone there. I shamed all those in my family. People talked about me behind my back. Even my parents talked about me."

"Saki-senpai…"

"Yosuke… I pretended to be friends with him, but he was the annoying person ever. I can't believe he came here, and ruined everything," that voice said.

"Saki-senpai… Why?"

"He was a pain in the ass! He always took things the wrong way. What a dip," the voice said.

Yosuke walked over to the side of the store and looked at a picture on the counter, "This was a picture we took of all of the Junes part-time employees. Did she really hate everything about us?"

A person that looked exactly Yosuke with yellow eyes came from the Shadows. They pierced into Yosuke's own.

"_Oh… Boo-hoo! You know it! She hated you with all her heart. Here you are, supposedly for Saki-senpai,"_ A person who looked just like Yosuke said.

"Two Yosukes?" Teddie was dumbfounded.

"Of course, I'm here for Saki-senpai. I want to find out why she died," Yosuke said.

"_No, you don't. You just wanted to come here for some adventure. You could care less. There is just nothing to do in this town, so you came here to be the hero. You always wanted to do something, so here you are. This is your big chance,"_ the other Yosuke said.

"No, don't tell what I came here for. I did this for myself."

The other Yosuke laughed again.

"_Admit it, I'm not spouting bullshit. I know everything about you. Because, I am you,"_ the Shadow said.

"No you aren't, you're not me!"

The laughter from before became maniacal and the Yosuke with the yellow eyes became engulfed in purple flames. The resulting force knocked over Yosuke, leaving only Teddie and Souji to deal with became of the other Yosuke.

The other Yosuke was like a frog, colored in green, yellow, and black. The top of the frog had a large yellow mouth. Jutting out of the back was a torso and head was a person with stars for eyes. It had a red cape attached to it. The Shadow wasn't the prettiest thing in the world.

The Shadow said to Souji_,_ "_I am a Shadow. The true self. You wanted to be a hero, you wanted something to do, well I'll give you something to do. I'll destroy everything in my way that bores me… starting with you!"_

Souji sprung into action. Teddie mentioned it was a very strong one. "Obviously…"

He summoned Izanagi to slash the shadow. It did damage, but it was blasted down soon after by wind. Souji too was knocked down by wind. Through Izanagi, he discharged lightning multiple times into the other Yosuke. _"You don't mind dying, do you?"_

The Yosuke chuckled and sent streaks of wind at Souji who decided to guard at the time. Izanagi was unaffected either. Souji responded by more lightning, which knocked down the frog shadow. He continued to slash the Yosuke. "_You can't win, don't struggle_."

More wind came and knocked down Souji. He used some of the medicine that Teddie gave him, and came at the Yosuke with the golf club. He whacked the Yosuke with the golf club, who was breathing heavily. Up, down, and across were the blows.

Souji guarded when the Yosuke Shadow guarded. Of course, the Shadow would follow up with a very strong wind attack. That made the pain from the wind bearable. Souji would have Izanagi use his "Zio" skill while he inserted the three wood into the Shadow's face."

The good news, the Yosuke (frog) Shadow disappeared. The bad news, the golf club became a bent mess.

When it ended, the two Yosukes' were facing each other. The Shadow wasn't talking, and the real one was speechless.

"I guess… I didn't want to admit it, but I needed something to do. I was so lonely here, and there was nothing to do here. I hated it here too, being transferred here. There was nothing I could do. I guess you are part of me, and I have to accept that," Yosuke told the shadow.

Souji felt it was a little brave of Yosuke to admit he was being a bit of a dick this whole time, and wanted just to be here to kick someone's ass.

The Shadow disappeared and became the image of a white-humanoid creature with shuriken attached to the hands. Camouflage was on the legs and arms, and the shadow mouth was on the chest. The face was a black color.

"Is this my 'Persona'?," Yosuke asked. Yosuke suddenly hit the ground as he fell to his knees, "I don't feel so good."

Teddie and Souji went to his side. Teddie told him, "I think this world isn't meant for people, we should you out of here." Teddie shook his head, "Shadows gather together and attack someone where a big Shadow draws them to it."

"You mean Saki-senpai was killed by her own Shadow too?" Yosuke asked, "Damn it…"

"Let's go," Souji said, "As we promised, we'll find her killer." He looked at Yosuke, "I bet you can use the same power that I have now."

Souji nodded as Teddie shooed them out of the Shopping District back to the main area.  
Teddie looked expectantly at them and looked at them as he wanted something as they wanted to go back.

"So will you help me find out what's wrong with this world?" Teddie asked.

Yosuke asked, "He's kind of forcing this on us, don't you think so?"

Souji nodded, but said, "We'll help you, uhh... Teddie."

"So will you be here when we get back?" Yosuke asked.

Teddie responded, "Fo'sho. Now let's go."

Teddie produced the TVs and they were pushed back into the stacks. Waiting for them were Chie and Rion. Chie looked very unhappy and angry. Rion just looked relieved to see the other two in one piece.

"I told you they would be fine," Rion said towards Chie in a calming tone.

"There you guys are. You had no idea how worried idea I was. When the line broke I was… I mean scared stiff, dammit," Chie yelled at Yosuke, throwing the rope at him, knocking him down.

"They're fine, Chie, just calm down. They look exhausted," Rion exclaimed.

"Glad to see you care…," Souji said.

Chie gave Souji a look, "Shut up."

She walked away from them fuming, and Yosuke said to Souji, "I kind of think that might have been our fault."

"Yeah, probably," Souji answered. He turned to Rion and said, "Sorry."

"You're still alive, so it's fine," Rion said calmly, "I do suggest you be more careful next time." Rion walked away with a nod in their direction. Souji thought that though Rion was a know-it-all, at least he genuinely cared.

"Thanks Souji," Yosuke said, "I think I'll sleep well tonight."

The pair decided to head back to their respective homes. This is one story they couldn't explain to anyone. The Midnight Channel is one thing, but this adventure is just beyond ridiculous.

* * *

I tried to reformat it to the best of my abilities. This is a partial fixer-upper.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
I am butchering dialogue, battles, and s-links to get the novel version respectable. I can make characters more cynical, mean, out of character, and amusing. My character is "special" personality-wise. My character is a compilation of all members of my mythology club. The personas are more integrated in battle than in the game. I'm giving up on integrating differences in fonts for thoughts and others; I'll just list thoughts as I see them.  
If you don't know, the personas can fight more along side. It makes it more "exciting".

Language is by far the biggest issue in this story because it is the novelization of P4. A lot of the story is close to the same, so expect some to be word for word. That means language won't be the nicest at times. Some Chapters are much better than others.

I do have one OC that is in here that messes with the story. If you believe it interferes with a novelization that much, then I suggest you do not read this fic.

I own nothing! Atlus and Atlus USA own my money, SMT, and Persona.  
-----

Souji, like the others, wanted to go home and just crash on his bed after either being inside the TV or waiting for them to get out of said TV. Unfortunately, as he was on his way home, he ran into Yukiko in her kimono by the floodplain. He had noticed the little benches by the Samegawa before as he was walking to school. It was covered from the rain, which was useful, only when the rain wasn't going sideways. Souji was motioned to sit down by Yukiko and he did so. He would rather sleep after killing a frog thingy in a TV, but he listened to her regardless. It was a pretty kimono, all pink and such, and the girl wearing it was cute in Souji's eyes. It wasn't all bad for him. If he wasn't so tired he'd be rather excited and be quite interested.

"Hey…," Souji said, "How are you?" He was tired, but he at least tried to be nice to the girl. Souji thought he should try not to make himself look bad.

"Oh, are you wondering why I'm dressed like this?" Yukiko asked, "I'm running an errand for the Inn. We're really busy right now."

"Oh," Souji said, "I don't know if I could deal with that, running an inn."

"I'm sure you'd do fine," Yukiko assured him. Are you getting used to this place?" Yukiko asked. She was thinking to herself, "I'm being run ragged with all of this."

"I guess," Souji responded. It had only been a few days. He had been in a TV twice, experienced a few murders. It wasn't like it wasn't interesting. It was more interesting than he had expected, but it wasn't like some days in the city that he had been living in. But, Souji wasn't sure if this was a good interesting, or a bad interesting.

"I've never been out of Inaba, so I wouldn't know what it would be like to transfer to a new school…. Oh are you getting along with Chie? I mean, I always leave early, so, umm…," Yukiko rambled,

"We're getting along, I guess," Souji said. "Though, if she's kicking people or hitting them with rope, she can be a bit of a pain," Souji didn't share with Yukiko.

Yukiko continued, "I'm glad to hear that. Chie's very supportive, you know. It's always her who gives me the little extra push I need. I remember when we used to skip class together." She smiled at that.

"Skipping class," Souji thought. He was smiling. "Sounds good to me," Souji said.

"I see. Well, I need to go. I've had a long day, and I'm sure you have to work at the Inn," Souji said, trying to get rid of Yukiko. Souji really needed his sleep. Killing frog-monsters makes one tired, and he felt like his arms would fall off from swinging that golf club.

"You're right..," Yukiko said, "Bye, Souji."

They said goodbye and left in different directions. Souji was glad that Yukiko left in a way. He was very tired, and because it was raining. He would need to look at the Midnight Channel again anyways. Would he be awake at school tomorrow? He doubted it. He would just count on Rion to get his notes, regardless. He never falls asleep, or misses an answer, he was guessing. "Well, he is a robot…," Souji thought, "I do have to ask him why he has a British accent though. He's Japanese, not British."

"Welcome back!" Nanako said, as Souji walked in.

As expected, Dojima wouldn't be coming home tonight. Another person was murdered, and no one has an idea who killed her.

"She was thrown into a TV. How are we supposed to know who killed her?" he thought.

The news was all about the death of Saki Konishi, how Saki was a member of Yasogami High School, a 3rd year student, and so on. "Blah, blah," Souji thought, "Yosuke dealt with his demons, but we have no idea what's going here." Before Nanako could change the channel, the Amagi Inn showed up on the TV screen. That certainly caught Souji's attention. It certainly would be considering that he had just talked to Yukiko only a few hours ago.

"Here we have the famous Amagi Inn. This young lady here is Yukiko Amagi, the soon-to-be youngest manager of the Amagi Inn," the reporter said. A young man, who looked only slightly like a pervert was interviewing Yukiko.

"What a perv," Souji thought.

"Umm… Are you talking to me?" Yukiko seemed extremely nervous.

"Wow… You would be a high schooler, and a manager of this famous inn, which I might add is home to these famous hot springs. Maybe, I should book a room to this inn more often."

"Well…," Yukiko said, "Umm…"

The more the interview went on, the more off-topic the interview got. It ended up being the reporter flirting with Yukiko endlessly, which is pointless with Yukiko. Yukiko wouldn't know flirting if it walked naked in front of her. That's just how it was with Yukiko. Souji rolled his eyes. He didn't know what he would do if he was in Yukiko's shoes. He probably would have killed that reporter by then. Though, it'd probably have looked bad on TV. It really would have looked bad since there were two murders in about… "Two to three days?" Souji thought.

Souji decided to get up and go upstairs. He had a show to watch, well nothing important. It wasn't like Saki was going to appear on the Midnight Channel tonight. But, it was raining tonight, and that meant he might as well watch TV. Only the Midnight Channel was meant to see if anyone else was thrown in the "TV". So as he made his way upstairs, and trudged into his room; he made sure it was still raining outside.

"Of course it's raining… The weather girl said it was going to rain. It was raining earlier," Souji thought, "Of course the Midnight Channel is going to be on. Why did I bother checking it in the first place? The weather lady is always right. Even the girl on the roof of the school said it was going to keep raining."

At the stroke of midnight, Souji made sure he had the TV off. The yellow screen came on the TV. It seemed to be a young female with long hair. A girl wearing a kimono was on the Midnight Channel. That girl looked like Yukiko. He was pretty sure it was Yuki-chan. He chuckled, "Yuki-chan." He said to himself, "Sounds like something that bear would say."

Souji was way too tired to try and think everything through. If Yukiko was in the TV, does that mean she was dead too. Was she going to end on a telephone pole or something?

"That would suck for her," Souji's mind described Yukiko in the TV, "She doesn't sound like that bad of a person. She's just a ditz when it comes to guys. Too bad she's pretty."

Souji went to bed, but not before he did some math problems while standing on one foot with his left arm tied behind his back. He thought his knowledge would improve if he did those problems. "Maybe, if I study I'll get smarter," Souji thought as he got into his futon, "Nah…" He decided he wasn't much of a studious person. Besides, he wasn't that good at balancing on one foot. He had a bump on his head where he had fallen while trying to write mathematical equations with his pencil on his left foot.

Souji got up as he always did, he ate the same food as always cooked by Nanako for breakfast, and headed off to school. "I really need to start making food for myself. I am probably a much better cook than her," he thought.

At least no one was talking about murders, or such while he was walking down the floodplains, or heading down the gates through school. He just dragged Yosuke of the river when he crashed his bicycle. While they were making their way to school, Yosuke motioned to Souji. "Yesterday, umm… thanks for helping me out with Saki-senpai. I knew I had issues with everything, and you helped me out and all. So, thanks."

He nodded, "No problem," is what Souji said, but what he thought was, "Sorry, you missed out on scoring, Yosuke."

At school itself, Chie looked a mess. Not a hot mess, but a mess in general when she ran into the room. Rion was standing around looking well… not distressed, but concerned. Souji guessed that he had obviously seen the Midnight Channel last night too. But, Souji doubted that Rion would ever look distressed. Yosuke looked like… Yosuke, except he was dripping wet. Yukiko was missing from school. "No surprise there… I wonder if she really was in the TV then. I'll call the funeral home, I guess," Souji thought.

Yosuke said to Chie, "Hey, I'm sorry we worried you…,"

"Never mind that," Chie interrupted him, "Is the stuff you said about the Midnight Channel true? I mean about those who you see on it being in the TV."

"We were just talking about that," Yosuke told Chie.

"I haven't been able to get a hold of Yukiko," Chie was hyperventilating, "I called her earlier yesterday."

"This won't turn out well," Souji thought.

Chie was standing next to her desk looking at the rest of them when she said, "I emailed Yukiko last night, and I called her this morning. There was no response!"

"Maybe you are overreacting, Chie," Rion said, "Though it looked like Yukiko, it did not look like she was in pain or choking to death."

"Thanks a lot, jackass," Chie said, ready to kick him.

"Why don't you try calling Yukiko again?" Yosuke suggested.

"Alright," Chie said, making the call to her cell phone, "No response!"

"Try the inn's phone number…," Souji said.

"Right, okay… Hello… Yukiko, please. Hey, we were worried. So, that's why you aren't at school. Okay, I'll talk to you later. Bye."

Chie let a large sigh of relief, "She just has to stay at the inn to help out. There is a large group that she has to cater for, and they need the extra help. Oh, yeah, it happens about once a year." She looked mad again, "Don't worry me guys with your crap about already being in the TV!"

"It's just what the bear said!" Yosuke defended himself.

"You just remembered that now?" Souji thought. "Good thing then, huh?" Souji said.

"Right, no problem," Chie said, "So what did you guys say before I arrived?"

-----

Before Chie arrived,

"So, someone was on the Midnight Channel last night," Rion said. He was standing by Souji's desk. He sighed and pushed up his glassed as he explained, "It was a female dressed in a kimono. I believe it was Yukiko Amagi."

"That's what I thought," Souji agreed, "That's just too weird."

"Wait…," Yosuke said. He had wrung his hair and his clothes out as best he could in the restroom, but his clothes were still wrinkly and damp, "You thought it was Yukiko. So, do you think she's in there?" he asked. He looked worried, "I mean, we see people on that show, and they are already in TV, right?"

"She might be," Souji responded, "Only Teddie would know for sure."

"Oh man, Chie will be freaked," Yosuke said.

"Well, imagine that," Rion said, "Here she comes now." He pointed to the door which was now opening.

---

"So, that's what happened," Chie said. She shrugged, "That was still wasting my time. What do we have to wait for until we talk to the bear?"

"Alright, now all we have to do is survive King Moron's rambling, Kondo's running, and Sofue's shit," Yosuke muttered.

"WHO SAID THAT?" Mooroka yelled as he entered the room.

They all quickly sat down and looked down at their desks to try and not attract attention to themselves. Morooka was certainly bitchy today. Souji felt like smacking something over his head.

He knew he had to head home. He checked with the freaky meteorologist of the future on the roof. She said it would rain again through tonight. "What she says must be true, so help me god," Souji thought.

Before that, Chie and the others were not fully sure that there was no one in the TV. If Yukiko wasn't there, maybe some other kimono-clad girl was in there. The four of them, Souji, Chie, Yosuke, and Rion headed over to Junes to ask "Teddie" if anyone had suffered the fate of being thrown into a TV. Chie insisted on getting some food first, but finally they made their way to the Electronics Department. They stopped in front of the large plasma TV in Junes' Electronic Department.

"We can't just go up and ask the bear…thing, well not in plain sight. We need to make a wall or something," Rion told the others.

"A wall…?" Chie asked.

"He's right. We can't just go up there. People will look at us oddly if Souji just sticks his hand in a TV," Yosuke said.

"They already do," Souji told him.

"Shut up," Yosuke said.

While the wall had been formed by Yosuke on the left, Chie on the right, and Rion behind; Souji went up to make contact with the bear. He stuck his hand in the TV, and pulled it back almost immediately because of an immediate flash of pain. Souji had bite marks on his hand. Freaking bite marks! Souji was going to kill that bear. He didn't care about being nice to that bear anymore. He was going to make a rug out of that bear's fur.

"What happened?" Rion asked.

"It bit me…" Souji said, showing them the bite marks.

"The bear bit you!" Yosuke said.

"Are you okay?" Chie asked.

Souji responded, "I'm bleeding, so I'm going to die from blood loss."

"Shut up, you baby," Chie told Souji as she went up the TV and yelled at the TV to reach the bear, "Hey you! You! We know you're in there."

"Oh, is this a game?" the thing inside the TV asked.

Meanwhile, Souji had cussed out Chie in his mind.

"Does it look like a game? Of course it isn't a game? Have you seen anyone else in your world?" Chie asked

"Umm… Nope, I'm just a lonely bear in here. It's so beary lonely in here."

"Great… The bear is going to be a pain," Souji thought, "At least he isn't the biggest smartass ever like Rion."

"Well, keep an eye out if anyone gets put in there." Yosuke said.

All of the students walked away from Junes. Yosuke stayed behind. He had to deal with annoying part-time employees who were always bugging him about hours and getting some time off. It was not really Souji's problem, but he felt bad for the fact that it was only Yosuke's dad who really worked there, not him. Now, he would only have to deal with that little girl who's singing about Junes. Hopefully, he could do the cooking today instead of eating instant shit.

"Welcome home!" Nanako said to Souji as he came into the door.

"Guess what? No luck, instant food again as the evening passed. I'll probably have to listen to that jingle too," his thoughts betrayed him as a Junes commercial came on at that exact moment. He went to find Dojima's gun, but was unsuccessful.

The rain pattered on the roof for the past few days. It was bothersome, but it gave a good chance to see if anyone was thrown into the TV. Souji thought, "I don't think Chie would want Yukiko thrown in there."

As he watched the clock, making sure the rain was still falling, and then the clock hit midnight. The yellow screen did not appear. Instead, it was an extremely vivid picture. The lighting was off for a TV set, and the picture was not centered. It looked like the background of a castle. Coming through the side of the screen was someone who obviously Yukiko. She was wearing a red, white, and pink renaissance-like dress that was very suggestive that left nothing to the imagination. It was very revealing, and was obviously wearing a corset as her chest was raised to its highest point. It was pretty obvious that her chest wasn't that big in real life.

She looked at the "camera" and the Yukiko said, "Hello…and welcome to Not a Dream, Not a Hoax. I'm off to find myself a Prince Charming. I've got my lacy unmentionables on. (Pointing to both her legs and flashing her raised chest). I'm here to score myself a hot stud. Well, here I go!" She ran off towards to a castle, which had the same swirling design as the Liquor Store that Souji and Yosuke had visited only a couple of days ago.

"Holy shit… Yukiko looked hot," was Souji's first thoughts. He said, "I should call Yosuke though. I wonder what he'll say."

He dialed Yosuke's number, and he answered right away.

"Man, did you see Yukiko?" Yosuke said.

"Umm… Would I be calling if I didn't?" Souji said.

"Right, but it looked like it was on some cheesy TV show."

"Since it wasn't on the yellow screen, don't you think she's alive?" Souji asked. He was reasoning with what the bear had said last time.

"That's what Rion said. He was talking to me while it came on."

"I see," Souji said. He was thinking, "I wonder what he has to say about it."

"Well, Chie is bugging me on the call waiting, so I'll let her cry out her worries," Yosuke told him.

Souji decided he needed sleep before dealing with it. He did have a nice dream about

Yukiko in that outfit, but otherwise Souji knew he'd have to go into the TV again. He also found out he'd need a cold shower after he woke up. That was a little disturbing. "Just after what I saw on the Midnight Channel?" he thought.

Every person in their little group was a little freaked as they got to school. Who wouldn't be when someone else they knew, someone from their class was thrown into the TV?

"Well, since we saw that on the Channel last night, we'll have to check with that bear on how she's doing," Rion said.

"How do you think she's doing, Rion? She's in the TV," Chie asked. She was clearly panicking.

"Calm down, Chie…," Yosuke said.

"No way am I calming down," Chie said, "Don't tell me what to do unless you want a foot stopping you from having kids."

Yosuke shut up after that. Souji decided that Yosuke did want kids as he got older.

Rion whispered to Yosuke, "There's no good answer in this situation. We should just make sure you save her."

It didn't help people were talking about Yukiko being missing from school for a few days in a row. She missed a day or so occasionally because of her working at the inn, but not multiple days in a row. Even the class knew something had to be wrong.

Yosuke and Souji left together towards Junes while Chie and Rion said they had to get something. What, I don't know.

Souji ended up sitting at the same table that they had been at only a couple of days before, the same table only a day or so before Saki Konishi died.

Souji was waiting around for Yosuke, while he was getting something from some department or another. He was a little scared to see what they would be. Maybe, it would be a new golf club. Yosuke eventually did show up. He was carrying two kinds of blades.

"What the hell, are you trying to get us arrested?" was his thoughts.

"So, Souji, which blades do you prefer?" Yosuke showed him the two different swords, "Golf clubs don't make good weapons."

Souji remembered his dream with the sword, and he decided he needed to brush up on the baseball skills. Besides, he already was proficient at the golf club. He told Yosuke, "I guess the katana."

"I think I prefer both, really," Yosuke said. He started doing some sort of impromptu kata that would make a martial artist shake his head in shame. Souji wondered if he should back away because that wakaishizi was getting awfully close to his head.

Unfortunately, a police officer came up at the same time while Yosuke was swinging the damn things around. "Dumbass," Souji thought.

"We have two suspicious characters, brandishing weapons," the officer said.

"Umm, officer this isn't what it looks like," Yosuke said, "We didn't steal them, I guess that doesn't matter in this situation." He waved the weapons by accident.

The officer backed away, "We need backup. One character is getting belligerent."

Souji tried to look as innocent as possible. He wasn't at fault here, but as other officers arrived; they were still taken to the police station. It sucked, really. Being handcuffed, and thrown into a police car. Souji wanted to save Yukiko, not get thrown into jail. "Dumbass," Souji muttered at Yosuke while he was in the police car.

They thought they were in trouble, and Souji believed it would be a permanent mark on his school record, but thankfully Dojima got them out with his connections.

"Thank god I have a detective as an uncle," Souji thought to himself.

"You're lucky I was around. I pulled some strings to get you two out. I don't suggest you do that again. You know we have extra forces around because of what happened recently. Be careful you two," Dojima told them with warning in his voice, and then he walked off.

As Yosuke and Souji walked off towards the exit of the police station, they ran into Dojima's slave, Adachi carrying coffee.

"Oh, what are you guys doing here?" Adachi asked.

"Umm… we came to see Dojima," Souji lied.

"Well, it's a mess here. With everyone looking for the Amagi girl and no one can find her. We brought in extra people, and we don't even have an idea where to start looking. Did anyone say she was laying low for some reason? They say Yamano had harsh words for the inn and caused Amagi's mom to collapse."

A voice broke through the silence, "Adachi! Where is the hell is my coffee?" Dojima yelled.

"Got to go!" Adachi hurried down the corridor.

"Amagi!?" Yosuke looked at Souji, "So they think she's the killer, and they can't find her! She's the one missing!"

"I know, this is stupid," Souji shook his head, as they walked over to the front office where Chie was waiting for them.

"What happened to you guys? I thought you guys were picking up some weaponry."

"Well, we did, but it got confiscated," Yosuke said.

"It's Yosuke's fault," Souji said.

"Well, the thing is, that they think Yukiko is laying low for some reason," Yosuke said.

"Yukiko is the victim here!" Chie yelled.

"I know!" Yosuke yelled back.

"Calm down people," Souji said, "Anyways, where's Rion?" he asked.

Rion is already at Junes, and Yukiko is waiting for us to rescue him," Chie answered, calming down a little.

They ended up by a place called Daidara Metalworks in the North part of the Shopping District.

"What the hell is this?" was Souji's thoughts.

"Some guys were saying they sell metal crap here," Chie said.

"So, are we letting her come along?" Yosuke said, "I really don't think you should come with."

"Yukiko could be dying in there!" Chie yelled.

Souji looked at Chie's face that said I'll kill you if you don't and said, "We better let her come along."

"I'm coming this time, and there's no stopping me," Chie said.

"There's no convincing her otherwise, I guess," Yosuke told Souji as they entered the shop.

The old man running the shop greeted them and told them about the gear he sold and that if you brought new types of weird stuff, he can make new gear.

"What kinds of weird crap do we need to bring?" Souji thought, "So, if I bring you bubblegum, can you make a bubblegum sword?"

"Well, I bought what I wanted. You guys find what you want," Chie said. She made her transaction and walked out the door.

Souji bought the chain mail and a fake katana. He also bought chain mail and cheap kunai for Yosuke after he gave Souji some yen. "Find some good stuff for me," Yosuke said.

Before Souji could walk over to Junes with the group, a small detour occurred. They had decided to walk separately anyways. They also decided to hide their equipment in their school outfits. How Souji was fitting a katana in his uniform, he didn't know. But, as he waddled down the North Shopping District, a Blue Room opened up. It was a Velvet Room, which he opened with a Velvet Key. Souji thought, "Cheesy"

Margaret and Igor talked about the fact that the whole mystery and issues had occurred as they had planned and it now his problem. He had to deal with it. "Thanks a lot," Souji mumbled as he left the Velvet Room, "So much for a peaceful year."

They headed to Junes with Chie after draining their wallets. They saw Rion, who was indeed waiting for them at the Electronics Department.

"So, you're coming too?" Souji asked Rion. Rion had zipped up his blue and white striped sweater.

Rion pulled six inches of his fencing saber out to show him. "I'm not coming to play around, kids."

Souji thoughts said, "Great, all high and mighty again."

"How can you bring that along in public without attracting attention?" Yosuke asked. "I mean I know you were a fencing champion, but come on."

Rion shrugged, "It's not as out in the public as you think."

"Oh, so that's why he's so confident," Souji rolled his eyes.

They decided to head into the TV world. He saw the Teddie creature at the corner of the little plaza, stage, entrance, or whatever the hell Souji thought it was. Yosuke asked it what it was doing, and he said it was thinking. Yosuke told him it was worthless anyways. "You're just hollow," Yosuke said, "We've seen the inside of your head."

"Cruel, Yosuke," Souji said.

Chie ran towards the Teddie thing, and started berating the "thing" with questions, "Another person has been thrown in her right? Is she still here?"

"Wow. You must have a great nose! Yep, I felt her alright. I can try and lead you to where I think she is." Teddie said.

"Really? Cool," Yosuke said. Part of him was really worried about Yukiko. This wasn't a game to him anymore. Yosuke wasn't coming for glory. He was here to rescue Yukiko, and to catch a killer.

"Then… where is Yukiko?" Chie yelled at the bear.

Teddie ran behind Souji, "Hold on… I'll sniff her out, this Yukiko or whatever this girl is called,"

"….." Souji was as full of life as always.

Teddie was sniffing the air, obviously looking for something.

"Must be doing crack or something…," Souji chuckled as Chie punched him in the arm.

Suddenly, Teddie pointed in the direction of 3 o'clock. "She's there."

Before Chie had ran off like a madwoman towards where Yukiko was; the group asked if this is where the "show" was filmed.

"Show? What show?" Teddie responded.

They arrived at the castle that had appeared on the cheesy TV show. It was a large castle that had the swirling red and black symbol in the center. Chie looked chomping at the bit to run away and find Yukiko. Chie ended up running away from them to run after Yukiko.

"Wait, where are you going?" Yosuke yelled, "She should wait for us!"

"No, don't go…," Souji lazily said.

"Teddie, can you fix my glasses," handing him his reading glasses, "I need them to work like theirs," Rion asked.

Souji wondered how Rion figured it out Yosuke's and his glasses worked within minutes of being in the TV world the second time. Rion was too smart for his own good. Souji just rolled his eyes as Teddie worked on the glasses. Souji thought it might get him killed someday.

"Fo' sho," Teddie answered.

Rion was the first to run after Chie when his glasses were fixed, pulling his blade from his sheath. He ran into the castle at a sprinting speed, much faster than Chie did. Souji was surprised.

"He should catch her in no time," Souji thought.

"We need to run after Chie," Yosuke said, "Rion might be okay for a while, but we'll need to catch up to him too. He doesn't have a Persona even if he can see in there."

The two of them ran into the castle. Voices were heard in the castle as they entered, "So, I heard you'll be the youngest ever inn manager at the Amagi Inn."

"What is this?" Yosuke said.

"How would I know?" Souji said.

So, the two of them went through the first floor trying to find either Rion or Chie. They beat up Shadows that looked like the ones that attacked them near Saki's liquor store.

"Izanagi!" Souji yelled. Izanagi joined him at his side. With Izanagi beside him, he rushed those slimy tongue things. His "Zio" spell or whatever it was made the scary tongue things shiver in fright. Whenever Souji struck one, they rolled over like a shriveled earthworm.

"Jiraiya!" Yosuke exclaimed. The camouflage-ninja Persona would follow up with "Bash", or sometime he would finish them off with his kunai.

They also faced weird white fish Shadow things that tried to cast weird magic on them. Luckily, Souji and Yosuke dodged it, and had Jiraiya kill them with his "Garu".

"That was awesome!" Yosuke said.

"Right…," Souji looked at Yosuke as if he was crazy.

As they ran the gauntlet, Souji and Yosuke ran into many of the spherical tongues, or the fishes. Souji would find they could use not just magic with the Personas, but also physical attacks. Also, with the kunai and katana, the Personas could slam into the Shadows as well. Their all-out-attacks, were literal, all-out-attacks.

As they reached the end of the first floor, they saw the stairway, and something else.

"Sweet, the stairs," Yosuke said. "Thank god," Yosuke thought.

"Umm… There is something else there," Souji said pointing at Rion. "About time we found him," Souji reflected. Souji noticed something. There were a lot less enemies than he expected. Maybe it was because Rion and Chie were running through here first.

Teddie had followed them and was the one who were helping them analyze the Shadows. "It's Rion, and he's okay!" Teddie exclaimed, "He made it all the way here."

Rion had jammed his saber through one of those scaly white fish Shadows vertically and it seemed that the attack had broken the blade halfway off diagonally.

"Stupid shit," he exclaimed, "I thought it would last longer." He looked at the other two, "Hey guys. I'm glad you showed up… What's this?" He asked that as he started hearing a voice.

The voices of Yukiko started again, "Smart Rion… He helps me study, and helps me talk to guys. He's the only guy I'm really comfortable around. He always was the guy that watched over us, even Yosuke, and Chie. He gave us strength, and it must be hard for him to move."

"That voice…," Rion said. It was laced with concern.

"He's so trustworthy, anytime I was in trouble, we could count on him. Yet, why is he always there for me? I'm not worth it," the voice said.

_"Aww… It was hard for you to move, huh was it?"_ The Shadow was mocking Yukiko's sayings.

Another Rion had appeared, he had yellow eyes instead of the brown ones he normally had. He looked quite harsh compared to the normal protective, smart Rion.  
"It's a Shadow of Rion!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"So this is what Yosuke faced…," Rion muttered before thinking to himself, "If I lose control, I will be ineffective and unable to help in battle. Unfortunately, without a weapon, I'm still useless. But, if I can dispel it on my own, I can save our teammates strength. Of course, if I face my Shadow, I will be useful in battle again. A conundrum, indeed."

Souji looked at him, "Another one? I don't want to deal with one every time someone is indecisive."

Souji wanted to shake his head. "If even Rion has a Shadow," Souji thought.

"Is this what you said a shadow is? An opposite of me? It doesn't seem to be very realistic. A fool, and not very wise," Rion muttered.

"_You really aren't very strong, are you? You're a failure at everything. You couldn't do what you wanted, so you ran away. You weren't smart enough, so you ran away. You couldn't protect people, so you ran away. You moved to a town where you thought you where it didn't matter. Guess what? You're still a failure! Don't delude yourself with false grandeur. You can't help her, and she's going to die because of your ineptitude!"_ The Shadow yelled.

"She's going to die, huh. Making quite an assumption on how we will fair. My opposition is guessing who we are before he sees us in action. I will protect others. Come on! You wouldn't stand a chance. Those who challenge just by sight are those who underestimate their opponents," Rion seemed far too confident.

_"Just like you did, at your competitions only a short while ago,"_ the Shadow laughed at Rion's loss of composure but Rion regained it quickly enough, _"You failed at all of those because you underestimated your opponents. How can you protect Yukiko if you can not back up what you say?"_

Rion looked down at the ground, "This Shadow is way too cocky for its own good. He'd be weak."

The Shadow started laughing; the shadow said to the student wearing the white and blue sweater, _"So you reject me?"_

"You are but a failure in the beliefs you carry in yourself!" Rion yelled at the shadow self.

"Here we go!" Souji yelled, "Idiot!" he thought about Rion, though he did have a point about his Shadow's judgments about them.

Souji and Yosuke charged forth as the Shadow laughed. Purple smoke emerged from the Shadow and knocked Rion over. The creature that emerged was a large white monster that was buff and had spikes on his legs. His arms were large muscular fists, and his head was blue with white eyes, which had a yellow tint. On each arm of the Shadow was a buckler shield. But, his head wasn't its usual place. The head was actually more towards the middle of the body.

The Shadow looked down upon the two of them, _"I am a Shadow, The true self. I will make you all fail, right here and now."_

"Let's cut this guy down to size," Yosuke said, "Let's go, Jiraiya." Jiraiya appeared in front of Yosuke as tried to slash it with his kunai. "Bash!" Jiraiya slammed into the Shadow shoulder first, and bounced off harmlessly. He had hit the right buckler. Yosuke's kunai also did next to no damage by hitting the left buckler.

"What the hell!?" Yosuke was confused as Jiraiya had been knocked backwards by the Shadow's shield.

"Izanagi!" came from Souji, "…." He was certainly annoyed at having to fight Rion's Shadow. If Rion was supposed to be unflappable, then why was he so vocal in this place? "Cleave!" The long blade was aiming straight for the head of Rion's Shadow, only to be parried by the right buckler.

"Damn it!" Souji yelled in frustration.

"I think physical attacks aren't working, Sensei!" Teddie yelled.

"You idiot, of course they aren't working!" Yosuke yelled.

"_Do you not understand now? Your attempts to save her are futile,"_ the Shadow said, _"It's my turn now. Protect yourself!"_

Rion's Shadow unleashed an attack, "Shield Destroyer." The right shield slammed into Souji, while the left shield went straight into Yosuke. Both of them went flying backwards as he advanced towards the pair. The Personas stood beside the pair to protect them, while Teddie was behind them.

"Try using magic!" Teddie exclaimed at them from far away. He wasn't going anywhere near the fight.

"Right!" Yosuke said.

"Go on, Jiraiya! Garu!" The wind attack amazingly swept up Rion's Shadow and threw it to the ground.

"Hurry up, Souji! My magic knocked it down!" Yosuke yelled.

"Izanagi!" "Zio!" The lightning made the shadow dizzy while it was lying on the ground.

Both attacks were effective against the Shadow.

"You need to take it down!" Teddie said.

"Let's go, Partner!" Yosuke said.

"Oh, what the hell!" Souji agreed to his request.

Souji, Yosuke, Izanagi, and Jiraiya came at the Shadow from all four directions and slammed into the Shadow. The Shadow tried to get up, but it staggered and collapsed to the ground again. Purple smoke covered it and it disappeared.

The Shadow returned to just a version of Rion with yellow eyes. The Shadow still had that weird growl that was a mix between a growl and a sigh.

"Rion, you need to accept him… He won't disappear otherwise," Yosuke yelled at the boy who had slowly gotten up after Souji and Yosuke had fried his shadow.

Rion had slowly gotten up. He stared down his shadow like before, but this with a less confident face.

"I'll still make mistakes. It wasn't easy for me to leave everything behind. I know I won't always be accepted. Yet, I can't always protect everyone," Rion told the shadow, "I can only let them stand on their own two feet."  
The shadow nodded and disappeared. In its place above it appeared an old sage. It was clad in red robes with a staff that split in a Y at the top in his right arm. In his left arm was a buckler.

"This is, Tajikarawo…," Rion said, as he staggered. This surprised Souji. He wasn't as affected as much as Yosuke. It had to be the training.

Yosuke and Souji came to help him up. "Maybe he won't be such a smartass now," Souji thought. In the back of Souji's mind, he doubted his thoughts.

"You're tired," Teddie said, "You just faced your Shadow. You should be resting."

"I'm okay…," Rion said, "You guys should worry about Chie. I'll just stay with Teddie."  
He walked behind with Teddie instead of staying in the front with Souji and Yosuke, but wasn't staggering around anymore. Teddie handed out the medicine to Souji and Yosuke to heal their "flesh wounds". They needed the medicine; Yosuke and Souji were both bleeding from the face. There was a cut over Souji's eyebrow, and there was a laceration on Yosuke's chin.

Afterwards, they walked up the stairs to the second floor. They went up the stairs and reached a door.

"There she is. Chie-chan is beyond this door," Teddie said.

The four of them opened the door and ran through it. They weren't sure what they find. They did find an expansive area that wasn't as restrictive as the places they had been running around so far. Standing around only a hundred feet from the entrance into the third floor was Chie. Teddie, Souji, and Yosuke were running towards her, while Rion was lagging behind a little.

"Chie, you alright… Chie!" Yosuke yelled at her, but she didn't respond.

"Earth to Chie… You awake?" Souji asked.

"She said that red looks good on me," the voice said.

"Yukiko-san?" Yosuke was startled.

Souji looked around, and realized no one else was around, "Yukiko?"

"This will end up the same as it did for me," Rion said.

This startled all four of them. They realized it was the castle's and Yukiko's Shadow doing.

"I hated my name… Yukiko… "Snow"… Snow is cold and it melts quickly. It's transient and worthless. To me though… It's perfect for someone inheriting the inn. I'm worthless. Yet, Chie still said that red looks good on me." The voice said.

"Is this, Yukiko's inner thoughts?" Yosuke asked, "Like with Saki-senpai."

"It would seem so. Her inward feelings are betraying what she shows us everyday," Souji remarked. Souji was contemplating that voices only meant one thing… a Shadow.

"This is very bad," Rion said. He was probably thinking the same thing Souji was.

Teddie told them, "The castle is probably here because of this "Yukiko" person too."

"Yukiko…," Chie finally said.

"Chie was the only one who gave my life meaning. She's bright and strong, and she can do anything… She has everything that I don't have. Compared to Chie…I'm…I'm… " Yukiko's voice said. Yukiko's voice got louder, "Chie protects me. She looks after my worthless life. I don't deserve any of it. Chie is so kind.

"Yukiko…I…I," Chie was saying softly.

_"Chie is so kind, huh. What a joke,"_ Another voice said. It was a Shadow's voice.

Chie, startled, said, "Wh…What!"

The shadow emerged from the fog looking menacing. It looked exactly like Chie. It looked exactly like Chie, except for one glaring difference. She had those ugly, nasty yellow eyes that both Rion and Yosuke's Shadow both had.

"Great…," Souji said.

"Oh man, is that?" Yosuke said.

"It's just like Yosuke and Rion!" Teddie exclaimed, "She lost control over her suppressed self! Now, it's a Shadow!"

"That's unfortunate," Rion thought and then said, "I can't believe that both of us have lost control."

"Yeah, you guys do suck," Souji thought. Souji said, "This is a big problem."

Chie's Shadow started laughing before saying, _"Are we talking about THAT Yukiko? She says that I'm protecting her? She says that she's worthless,"_ The Shadow continued laughing before saying, _"That's how it should be, right?"_

"What are you saying?" Chie asked her. She was completely taken off guard by these events. "What the hell is this?" She was thinking, "Is this like Yosuke?"

_"Yukiko's so good looking, so fair-skinned, and so feminine. She's the one all the guys drool over. When Yukiko looked at me with such jealousy… Man, did I get a charge out of that. Yukiko knows the score. She can't do anything if I'm not around. I'm better than her. Much, much better!"_ Chie's Shadow went on and on.

Chie tried to defend herself, "No! I have never thought like that!"

"What are we going to do?" Yosuke asked. He looked very, very worried about Chie. For the second time today, there were two people, two Shadows to be concerned about.

"Well, we could wait till she blows up," Rion said, getting looks from the others, "Or we could try and stop her." "I think we're screwed either way," he thought.

"We need to protect Chie," Souji told them. They nodded.

Rion looked at them, "That is a wise choice, given the circumstances."

"We need to protect Chie-chan, right now!" Teddie called out.

When the others ran towards her to try and maybe prevent the inevitable, Chie looking distressed yelled out at them, "No… Don't come near me. Don't look at me!"  
"You need to calm yourself," Souji told her.

"Calm down!" Yosuke yelled.

Chie yelled at them, "No… No, this isn't me."

Yosuke cried out, "Wait! Stupid… Don't say anything else like that."

"_Oh…That's right. I'm the one that can't do anything alone. I can't win as a girl, let alone as a person. I am pathetic. But, Yukiko, she depends on me,"_ the Shadow laughed,

"_That's why she's my friend. I'll never loosen my grip on her. She's too important to me." _The Shadow was mocking and laughing at Chie. She thought that Yukiko was just a tool for her to use.

Chie tried to fight back again as she turned around to face the Shadow, "No... That is not what I think of her."

_"So you're just going to turn your back and deny me again? Things are different now. When the time comes… I'll be the only one left standing. You won't mind, okay? I'm still you, after all,"_ Chie's Shadow mocked her. She started looking happy.

"Shut up! You're not…," Chie denied.

"Chie, no…" Yosuke tried his hardest.

"You're not me!" She yelled at the Shadow.

The Shadow began the endless chuckling as it began to transform. It looked like three girls on top of each other, but none of them really looked like Chie. They were gray and yellow and had long strands of hair. It had a long gray cloak and whips. If there was a word to explain the Shadow, you'd have to say dominatrix. Yosuke screamed for Chie, who had fallen, but there was a battle at hand for those who at capacity to fight.  
Teddie yelled to Yosuke and Souji, "It's coming, you have to use your powers again to protect, Chie-chan!"

Yosuke and Souji rushed towards Chie to protect her from the three-bodied Shadow. They drew their kunai and katana to face the monster and took a deep breath to gather oxygen for the second tough fight of the day.

_"I am a Shadow. The true self. What do you guys think you're doing? Trying to protect the real me? What a waste of time… You'll just have to pay the price_!" The Shadow mocked the two of them. She cracked her whip and faced them down.

Yosuke was quite disturbed and yelled, "Shut up, dumbass. Chie, just hang in there a little longer…"

_"You think it's that easy?"_ the Shadow said.

The battle began. "Izanagi!" "Zio!" Souji had set forth on attacking the Shadow with his Persona.

That attack wasn't really effective. So, Souji started using "Rakunda" on the Shadow. It made the Shadow weaker, and more susceptible to attacks.

"Jiraiya!" Yosuke exclaimed, "Garu!" The Shadow fell over with the wind attacks.

The pair, and the Personas were ready, "Let's do this!" Yosuke asked.

"Whenever you are, I guess," Souji agreed.

I don't think the Shadow liked swords and kunai being sliced through its skin or whatever it had covering its body. The Personas themselves slammed themselves into the Shadow. The Shadow didn't like it indeed.

Souji had inserted his katana sideways into the front of the first body, and slid it to the right. The kunai that Yosuke had been using had made marks all over the front of the face of the Shadow. Yes, Chie's Shadow was pissed.

_"We've only just begun and you're already so deadly serious. How lame!"_ Chie's

Shadow mocked them as she got up.

Chie's shadow casted "Green Wall" to defend herself from the wind attacks that had weakened her so easily before. Chie began to gaze at Yosuke repeatedly and cast a multi-lightning attack known as "Mazio". It would knock Yosuke down, and Chie's Shadow would follow up by beating him with her whip.

Now, this pissed off Yosuke, "Dammit!" as Yosuke struggled to his feet.

"Rakukuja!" Souji yelled, having his Persona try and protect Yosuke while Yosuke tried to protect himself with his kunai.

After casting his defensive spell, he would match the Shadow's whip with his Persona's "Cleave". The Persona would spin his blade and strike it into a Shadow.

While the "Green Wall" dispelled, and Souji recast "Rakunda", Yosuke was still repeatedly knocked down by the "Mazio".

"I need some time to take her down with my wind!" Yosuke yelled.

"Just give me some more time!" Souji complained. Souji was getting worried. He didn't know if he could wait much longer as applied medicine to Yosuke.

The next time the lightning came towards Yosuke, it hit an old hermit in red robes instead.

"Tajikarawo!" "Tarunda!" a voice rang out. The Shadow got weaker again. The whip struck Souji and he was able to catch it on mid-stride.

"It seems lightning doesn't do much damage to me. I'd do some damage yourself now!" yelled Rion.

"I thought you couldn't fight?" Souji said. Souji looked at Rion's Persona and him standing there. Thinking on it, Souji kind of expected Rion to come and fight. "Figure him not to listen what the Shadow said."

"Don't complain," Yosuke said as he cast "Dia!" to heal himself

After casting "Garu!" and knocking the Shadow down with Jiraiya. He yelled, "Alright, one for all, and all for one!"

All three of them went flying into Chie's Shadow while the Personas followed. Rion had discarded his broken blade, and just punched it in the midsection with his fist and then backhanded it. An uppercut from Souji's katana followed by downward slashes by Yosuke's kunai had sent Chie's Shadow into purple flames.

"You okay?" Yosuke asked as he rushed to Chie's side. The other followed right behind.

She looked around, "What happened?"

"A Shadow…," was all Rion said.

The Shadow didn't say anything so Chie responded, "What's the matter? Got nothing to say anymore?"

"You have to respect it," Souji said, "Otherwise, we'll have to kill it again." His emotions were betraying him. He was really tired. The blood running down his forehead proved it; that plus the gash on his forearm. His diagnosis from the battle… whips hurt.

"Stop it Chie. It's all right." Yosuke said. He was worn out too, really worn out. There were bruises and burns from being shocked repeatedly.

"You are more than that thing, and we all different sides to us," Souji said. He was thinking, "For the love of god, please accept it."

Rion looked at her, "If we were all the same, it'd be very boring."

She tried to deny it, but Yosuke responded, "They're right, Rion and I went through the same thing. We understand. I mean, we all have sides like this."

Chie looked at her shadow, "I kinda get it now. You are me. A side of me I couldn't forgive… That I tried ignore… You still exist… You're a part of me."  
The Shadow nodded and disappeared. Above it was a yellow, track-suit wearing martial artist, carrying a spear with blades on both ends. "Tomoe…"

"Well, it's true that part of me feels that way," Chie said, "I wasn't lying about being friends with Yukiko though."

"Like we didn't know," Yosuke said.

Chie promptly collapsed after that and the others rushed over to her side.

"Hey…Chie," Yosuke said, "Are you okay?"

"You, alright?" Souji asked.

"Well, that did make her a little tired," Rion said who was still staggering around a bit, "and I'm the idiot that decided to fight after facing my Shadow." Souji thought he looked a lot better off than Chie.

"Just a little tired," Chie said.

"You look like shit," Souji said, looking at both of them. He directed it more towards Chie really.

"Thanks," Chie said sarcastically.

"Yeah, you look terrible," Yosuke told her, "I bet you can use the same power as us now."

She looked at them funny.

"What should we do?" Yosuke asked, "We shouldn't keep going now? I mean, I'm really tired." While Chie was adamant against it.  
"I can keep going, I don't need a break," Chie said.

Teddie ran in front of her, "Don't overdo it!" He had sensed Chie's tiredness, plus everyone else's.

Yosuke looked at her, "It's not that I don't think you can keep going. We just need to save our strength to save Yukiko-san. Now that you can fight with us, it'd be better if you are at full strength. That's why we should regroup."

"Otherwise, we'll get our asses handed to us," Souji said.

Chie complained, "She's still in there though! If this is how she feels, I need to tell her something."

"You'll get your chance," Rion said, but with a look of concern, "We probably both look and feel terrible." "Why aren't back, yet?" he asked himself.

"I'm not as strong as she thinks. It's only because she was with me. Only because we were together do I look like I am." Chie pleaded to the others. She was barely able to stand.

"If you get your strength back, you can tell her. Yuki-chan is normal. She won't be attacked until the fog lifts here," Teddie told her.

"So, Yukiko-san is safe until then?" Yosuke asked.

"Positive!" Teddie nodded.

"Why?" Chie asked.

"The weather is opposite of our own world, here. When the fog comes in our world, that's when it lifts here, and the person dies," Souji told her.

"That's why it was foggy when the last two people died. We have time before fog comes here," Rion said.

As they wanted to turn back, Chie vehemently tried to refuse still. She was still as stubborn as a rock even though they promised to check the weather forecast as soon as they got back. Chie was worried about Yukiko being alone.

"If we are the only ones that can help… We have to be smart in saving her," Rion said.

"If we get wiped out, who will save Yukiko-san then? We can't fail, no matter what, right?" Yosuke told Chie.

They finally got Chie to leave and the five of them walked out of the castle. Souji, for one, was happy to leave the foggy and red castle. Souji and Yosuke in front, Teddie in back, but not before Chie apologized to the group.

"I shouldn't have rushed ahead of the group in by myself. I'm sorry about before."  
"No worries about that," Souji said, "We had to save Rion too, remember."

"No worries," Yosuke seconded. Souji rolled his eyes at Yosuke copying him.

When they got back to the plaza, Rion looked sick and so did Chie. The yellow plaza did have a high concentration of fog, so Souji had to admit that it was natural that they would feel bad since they just awakened to their Persona.

"This isn't the best I've felt," Rion said, "I need to rest." He shook his head and pushed up his glasses.

"I feel even worse than the last time I was here. My head feels like it's going to split open. Are you guys okay?" Chie said.

They commented on her not having the glasses.

"Yeah, what's with the glasses? Your eyesight turn as bad as Rion's?" Chie asked Yosuke and Souji.  
"You didn't notice the fog?" Souji asked.

"Tum..De..Dum… I got a pair ready for Chie-chan too," Teddie exclaimed happily to the group, "Here you go!" handing them to Chie.

"Wha… the? I can really see through this fog now. It's like it's not there at all," Chie said happily as she put on her yellow glasses.

"Why didn't you whip those out earlier if you had them?" Yosuke asked.

"I made them right now. You didn't tell she was coming. It was all so sadden… I mean sudden," Teddie yelled back.

"Huh, so that's the trick you guys use," Chie said.

Rion nodded in agreement.

"He didn't make glasses for you," Souji explained, "He just fixed your glasses."

"Details…," Rion was back to his usual apathetic self.

"Can I keep these?" Chie asked.

"Fo' Sho!" Teddie said.

"I'll be back later with these, but don't come without me. Kay?"

"Nobody goes in alone, alright?" Yosuke said.

"Works for me…," Rion said.

"Let's save Yukiko!" Souji replied.

As they were in the circle, they brought up the fact that they wanted Souji to be the leader.

"Do you mind being the leader, Souji? You were the first to get this ability, and you're better at fighting than us. I'd play second banana," Yosuke asked.

He looked surprised at this request. "They want me to lead…"

"I don't know about fighting better than me…, but you can lead and set the pace of our investigation," Rion said.

Souji still believed he was really arrogant, but he was most likely rather good at fighting.

"Leave it to me, then," Souji sighed. "This is going be more than what I want to deal with," he thought, "I hope I can deal with Chie's temper, and Yosuke's ineptitude."

Chie looked happy with the situation, "I'm comfortable with this."

"Me too!" Teddie said before being yelled at by Chie because she was on edge. They decided to leave and go back home.

After they left the TV, but before they left, Souji stopped Rion to talk to him. "Hey, can you wait a minute? I have something to ask you about," Souji asked him.

"Sure, I guess," Rion said. He stopped right by the table Yosuke and Souji got arrested at.

"Umm… Why do you have a British accent?" Souji asked, "It just bothers me."

"I see," Rion said. He took a breath and told Souji, "I thought it might have been something serious. I was born in Britain and lived there for the first six and a half years of my life because my father was British."

"Oh, I see," Souji said, "So, you're only ½ Japanese, then. Well, what's this about a fencing champion?"

Rion shook his head, "I was on a junior national fencing team. We competed all over the country. My Shadow said I failed because I had to leave the team before we finished our championship."

"I understand, that's tough," Souji said. "That sucks," Souji responded, "Thanks for answering my questions."

"I understand why you would have an inquisitive nature towards me at the time," Rion said towards Souji.

"Okay, bye." Souji made his wishes. "Man, he really is freaky," Souji thought, "A British-Japanese with fencing, and probably a martial arts background if I'm guessing right."

Souji returned home and was ready to crash again fighting two more Shadows… except his stomach was growling. "Stupid stomach!" he thought, "You betrayed me! I want sleep!"

As they were eating dinner and watching news, Dojima looked at Souji and asked, "Mind if I ask something? You aren't getting involved in any strange business, are you? What happened at the station this afternoon. It's still bothering me. Is there anything you're not telling me?"

"Or course not…," Souji said. "I'm such a liar!" he thought to himself as he picked up a vegetable picked out from Junes with his chopsticks.

"I see," Dojima said, and went back to eating his take out, "It's just been nagging me. That's all."

Nanako looked at them, and asked with a sad face, "What's wrong? Are you two fighting?

Souji looked at Nanako. He felt bad lying to Nanako, but he definitely couldn't tell a seven year-old what's going on. She couldn't know that there is a TV world out there.

"No, we're not fighting," Dojima said to Nanako, and then to Souji, "I agreed to look after you, so don't go looking for any trouble."

After dinner, Souji went off to bed after dealing with all those other selves of his "teammates". Souji thankfully, had a dreamless sleep. He would need that after what happened today.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
I am butchering dialogue, battles, and s-links to get the novel version respectable. I can make characters more cynical, mean, out of character, and amusing. My character is "special" personality-wise. My character is a compilation of all members of my mythology club. The personas are more integrated in battle than in the game. I'm giving up on integrating differences in fonts for thoughts and others; I'll just list thoughts as I see them.

If you don't know, the personas can fight more along side. It makes it more "exciting".

Language is by far the biggest issue in this story because it is the novelization of P4. A lot of the story is close to the same, so expect some to be word for word. That means language won't be the nicest at times. Some Chapters are much better than others.

I do have one OC that is in here that messes with the story. If you believe it interferes with a novelization that much, then I suggest you do not read this fic. One thing about the OC, he's Temperance.

There are at least a couple of reviews. So, I'll try to update as often as possible. The reason why I'm posting again so soon is because I have shells of chapters already waiting for me to just proofread and touch up.

I own nothing! Atlus and Atlus USA own my money, SMT, and Persona.

* * *

Souji was rather tired after taking care of both of Rion and Chie's shadows. "A real pain in the ass," he thought. After having being questioned and being told off again by Dojima, Souji was rather peeved. "Sure, we're not doing anything," he thought.

He was happy being able to finally going to sleep. He wasn't sure if he would bother going into the "TV world" tomorrow. Who knows? One or more of them might be "tired" or "sick". Even if they were, Chie would bug them into going. Souji wouldn't get a break, "Leader my ass," Souji shook his head.

He got up like he always did, and ate the same boring food that Nanako made him. He left early, and decided to go down the Samegawa to get to school on time. Souji was sure he'd hear more shit about Yukiko being missing. "Probably won't go away until we rescue her," Souji thought.

As he was walking up to the school, Rion caught up to him near the benches, past the riverbank.

"Are you recovered yet?" Souji asked Rion.

"I am feeling better than I was after the conclusion of our last visit," Rion said.

"I'll take that as a yes," Souji responded, "How are you going to fight outside of our Personas? Your sword was broken."

"I'll have an adequate replacement," Rion said. He pushed up his glasses, Souji thought he should get those tightened, "I will see you in class."

"That's good," Souji said, "And okay."

Rion ran ahead of him. He always was the first one of them in the class. Yosuke was rarely on time, according to Chie.

School was about as boring as possible. He got a question about which answer was a definite article. It seemed like a question that a 2 year-old could answer, but being a good student, he answered it. After school, as Souji was sitting at his desk, Chie came up to him.

"Hey Souji…," Chie said.

"Chie, what's on your mind?" Souji asked from his sitting position, straightening his papers.

"Umm… I just want to thank you for saving me yesterday," Chie said.

"Don't worry about it. We already told you that," Souji reminded her.

"Well, I just wanted to say it again," Chie said, "I mean it's kind of different saying it to you than Yosuke."

"Ohh… I don't have your phone number, in case we need to go in the TV. Can I have your number?" Souji said. He was rather confident in asking Chie for her number. Souji was always rather popular with girls, even in the city. "Pure as the driven snow my ass, Morooka," Souji thought.

Chie blushed when Souji asked, "Ohh… Umm, okay," she gave Souji her number.

They decided to head to Junes at least for a little while. They wanted Chie and Rion to get used to their powers. Well, Rion had used Tajikarawo pretty effectively in defending Yosuke, but Chie had not killed anything yet.

As they met at the table they had met at for the past few days, Yosuke noticed Rion was carrying a little metal stick with a small covering on one end that was about three feet long with two buttons on it. It had a circular hole on either end when the covering was unscrewed. He also had a large bag over his shoulder that Souji was sure contained something illegal.

"What the hell is that?" Yosuke asked, pointing at the thing with the holes.

He pressed one button, and part of a wooden stick of about three to four feet came out.  
"Walking stick," Rion said, and then he pressed the other button and another three to four feet of wood came out of the other side, "Bo staff as well." He nodded, "It's my actual walking stick," as Souji noticed a slight limp from Rion he never observed before.

"Holy shit," Chie said, "It's just like a Kung-Fu movie." Chie was fascinated by the staff.

"I see," Souji said, "So, this is what he meant by better and durable equipment," he thought. He looked at the bag, "So, is the new sword more durable than the fencing blade?" Souji was interested in the new blade Rion had promised him.

"Yes…," Rion said, "It is a much more suitable blade for this world. A fencing saber just won't last long enough."

"Glad to see you both wizened up about this world," Yosuke said.

They talked a little about the situation of Yukiko, the weather, and then entered the TV world.

An interesting thing Souji noticed was that they each had their own way of summoning their Persona.

Souji just crushed the card in his hand after yelling out the name of his Persona. "Izanagi," or "Ukobach." He thought it was pretty cool. Everyone else seemed to think it was pretty cool that he could summon about six different Personas.

Yosuke would say something like "Let's go, Jiraiya," while slashing his card with kunai in a spinning motion.

Chie would hit her card by hitting with the card with her greaves, while saying something such as, "Protect me, Tomoe!"

"Backflip power!" Souji thought.

Rion was definitely the odd one in the bunch. He would spin his card into the air with his staff, keeping it floating long enough so he could slash it in half with his sword.

He would say all sorts of weird things. It had to be related to his Persona.

"We will make our stand!" That had to be his personal saying, Souji believed. But, "We will find their souls in Heaven!" had to be related to myth.

Souji was impressed at Rion's new weapons. "It's a better blade," Souji thought. Rion was wielding a ninjato, and he was wielding it with a vengeance. He almost felt sorry for the Shadows, almost, that was until he cut one in half with his katana.

When they had made it up to the second floor they encountered Yukiko's Shadow. The second floor was where they had met Chie's Shadow, but Yukiko's Shadow looked exactly like what they saw on the Midnight Channel. It was wearing that seductive dress again. It was screaming "nosebleed", but Souji stopped himself before he had to wipe his nose. It was a little confusing, considering all of the other Shadows they had seen so far just looked exactly like the person they were running into, to the letter.

Yosuke yelled, "Yukiko!" as they ran in.

Chie asked, "Yukiko… What's wrong?"

The Shadow responded by laughing at them, _"Oh my, special guests. I wonder how they will play into this. Things are really beginning to heat up! Okie-dokie, I'm going back into my hunt for my Prince Charming. Ohhh, Where could he be? This place is huge! It makes it so exciting, but it makes it so hard to find him! Ohh… Maybe he's playing hide-and-seek in this fog. Ready or not… here I come! Let's go further in, shall we?" _

A sign above them read, "Princess Yukiko's hunt for her Prince Charming!"

They looked around and Yosuke yelled, "What the hell is this?"

Rion exclaimed, "This is one messed up place."

"You aren't Yukiko? Who are you?" Chie asked.

The Shadow laughed, _"What are you talking about? I'm Yukiko, and Yukiko is me."_

"No… Don't tell me, are you? Where's the real Yukiko?" Chie asked worriedly.

Laughing voices rang out through the castle. It surprised everyone. "What is this?" Souji muttered, "More voices?"

Yosuke looked around, "What's with these voices?"

Souji listened, "I'm not sure…"

Teddie told them, "It's really making the Shadows mad!"

The Shadow told them, _"Well, I'm off again! You'd better be waiting with bells on, my Dear Prince," _With that, Shadow Yukiko ran off into the fog. She was giggling all the way into the fog. She seemed quite serious about finding her prince, and scoring with a hot stud.

"Yukiko," Souji thought, "Damn… she looks hot in that outfit."

Chie ran up a little, "Hey, wait! That wasn't the real Yukiko. It had to be."

Teddie looked at Chie, "It was the other part of Yukiko. Her suppressed feelings."

"So, just like Rion and Yosuke?" Souji said.

"Just like us, huh," Yosuke said.

"I don't think she was excited for nothing," Teddie said.

Rion looked at them with a shaken head, "There were a lot of suppressed emotions in there. It makes the emotions we were holding in feel like child's play. Hers are more concentrated."

"The real Yukiko wants to show us something, that's for sure. It seems like she has a strong connection to the castle. It's incredibly dangerous. More than we thought," Teddie explained.

"Yukiko!" Chie yelled, making like she was going to run after her again.

"Don't go running off again, Chie!" Souji yelled.

"Hey don't go running off alone. We told her not to," Yosuke said.

They decided they would need to go up a few more floors to try and find Yukiko. They'd try to go maybe at least up two to three more floors to be safe. Souji took a deep breath and headed up the stairs with the rest following.

There were a lot less of the Shadows they met in the 1st area of the castle. That was a little unfortunate. Souji and Yosuke were quite adept at killing those Shadows.

"Alright guys, let's go!" Souji said as they had encountered a Shadow that was shaped like a white hand. "Izanagi!" "Cleave!"

That attack wasn't the most effective, but the attack damaged it, regardless. But it didn't kill it. That would be a problem later on.

The hand casted "Agi" and it knocked over Chie.

"Chie!" Yosuke yelled. He ran over towards her to try and help her up. A second hand came out and hit him from the side. "Leave me alone!" "Jiraiya!" "Bash!"

Yosuke and Jiraiya were now distracted in dealing with the second hand Shadow, leaving Chie wide open.

"Guys…," Chie said worriedly, "It's coming." The Shadow was advancing towards her. It reared to cast another fire attack at her. When it fired, Chie closed her eyes, only to be intercepted by Souji, Izanagi, Tajikarawo, and Rion.

"Saving you seems to be the norm, here," Souji smiled.

"Fire isn't that painful," Rion said. Fire was a strong point for Tajikarawo, though it seemed he was weak to wind, ice, and darkness.

Souji offered her a hand, while Rion stood in front of them. The hand had tried to attack them, only to beaten off by a staff blow.

"Try to freeze it," Souji suggested.

"I don't know any ice skills," Chie responded hurriedly. Yosuke had finished off the other hand.

Souji sighed, "Apsaras! Bufu!" The hand fell over and Yosuke stabbed it with his kunai.

"Shadow kebob!" Yosuke yelled.

Souji rolled his eyes, "Very amusing."

They had only gone about 300 meters farther when they ran into another Shadow, a much stronger Shadow. It looked like it didn't belong there. It had multiple arms and was humanoid. It had a greenish coloring to it mainly. Yet, it started out casting "Maragi!"

That didn't bode well for Chie. The only one that wasn't really burned was Tajikarawo's partner, Rion. Rion was dragging Chie away from the magus as fast as he could, while the others were quick to follow. They were not ready to fight this Shadow.

The group ran down the stairs as fast as they could. They would find a short solace on the 2nd area.

"What about the Shadows on the 1st?" Teddie asked as they applied medicine on Chie.

"Leave them to Souji and I, while Yosuke helps Chie out," Rion explained.

"Front lines, huh?" Souji thought, "I probably should, since I'm the leader."

He said to the group, "Yeah, I'll fight through them."

It was a methodical fight through to the opening of the castle. They should have gotten another way to goho-m. Souji fought through his pain and cut through plenty of tongue monsters. Izanagi was his lifesaver. Finally, they reached the entrance.

Teddie who was happy to see them come along to help find Yuki-chan and maybe solve the mystery, was sad to see them go. He was also probably glad to come out alive.

Souji decided to go to bed early after getting home. He was tired after all. Souji was still tired from the day before. He had another dream in which he was playing tag with Rion. Souji had tagged Rion, and Rion leveled him. I guess that's what he gets for playing tag with Rion. He woke scared that he had a broken jaw, but quickly reassured himself and got ready for the rigors and boredom of the thing called school.

The next two days went pretty normally for him. Souji decided to join the Basketball club on Tuesday after hearing girls saying sports clubs were taking in new members. He met Kou Ichijo there. He looked normal, though he did like them balls. The club didn't have enough players, unfortunately, and he and Kou were the only two good players.

He seemed to be friends with the captain of the Soccer club. Daisuke Nagase. He was pretty disturbed by their obsession with balls, and how the girls were going after Kou.

The next day he hung out with Yosuke. He had helped him figure out the spelling of "millennium". "It was pretty obvious," Souji thought.

It was amusing to hang out with Yosuke at least. They had gone to a little side eatery on the Shopping District called Souzai Daigaku.

"I guess I'm a loser in this town because my dad is the manager of this district's Junes," Yosuke told him.

"Well, that's something that just sucks. You'll have to deal with it," Souji told him, "No, actually, it's too bad."

Yosuke chuckled, "Aren't you nice? But, thanks…"

They chatted about different things like the murders, Morooka, and headed off afterwards.

"Welcome home!" Nanako said as Souji returned.

"Hey…," Souji said, "At least she isn't singing that jingle," he thought as he watched her gazing aimlessly at a quiz show.

When he went upstairs, he dealt with his boredom by dealing with math problems, on two feet. He felt smarter. He decided that they would go to the TV world tomorrow and force the group to try and find Yukiko. "No more people on telephone poles!" Souji exclaimed, but he had to explain to Nanako why he was yelling when she woke up.

The ensuing school day was spent watching Hosoi and Sofue lecture. If it was possible, even Rion was starting to doze off. Souji was bewildered that Rion would let himself get tired during school. True to his word after school, he forced the group off to Junes. They were sitting at their regular table.

"So are we getting anywhere?" Rion asked.

"We're going to save Yukiko, today!" Chie exclaimed.

Rion rolled his eyes at her, "I'm sure there are many more floors than what we climbed. We don't know how far up she is."

"I think Rion is right," Yosuke told Chie, "We just need to be patient."

"We need to find her now!" Chie exclaimed. Souji put his hand on his head. She was going to get them killed. It wasn't going to rain that quickly.

Souji motioned them to quiet down and get ready to head into the world.

"Okay! Let's go!" Yosuke said.

Teddie was happy to see them enter the TV world and go into Yukiko's Castle. The yellow dank plaza and the drab castle, it made Souji wonder which was going to be worse. Souji decided that since that it was all filled with fog, that it didn't matter.

"Alright, let's not mess this up…," Souji said.

They encountered raven-like Shadows, at least they'd be ravens if ravens carried red lanterns and dove at people at near supersonic speed.

"What's with these things?" Yosuke said as Jiraiya's wind did only average damage. Yosuke was probably expecting to kill it, but Souji was thinking, "Bird = Wind means bird is still alive."

"Souji, just shock it," Rion had parried the bird with his staff. It had dove at him, and he swept the bird aside with by swinging the staff to the left diagonally upwards.

"Izanagi!" "Zio!" Souji exclaimed, and the Shadow hit the ground and died. "Nice," Souji nodded, as he proceeded to do the same to the other two. The group ran forward.

There were those hand Shadows again. Those stupid hand Shadows. They used Apsaras as a deterrent to kill them with ice until finally… Tomoe learned "Bufu" "Thank god!" Souji could almost yell.

"Tomoe! Bufu!" Chie exclaimed as one of the hand Shadows fell over.

"About time!" Yosuke yelled.

"Shut up!" Chie yelled back.

"Okay… calm down children," Rion said.

"Shut up!" Both of them yelled at Rion.

An annoying new Shadow was a pair of people… people-ish things strapped together by wires, spokes, well something… Souji decided.

"Zio!" Souji had yelled with Izanagi at his side. Nothing had happened. Souji was confused, "Umm… Well… Don't all die at once."

It only got worse for them. Chie cast "Bufu" with Tomoe and the same thing happened with her.

The same thing occurred with Jiraiya and Yosuke. The "Garu" spells were worthless.

The worst idea was when Rion struck it with his sword. When he did, not only did it not do damage, but it spun and knocked Rion over. "What the hell!?"

Then those things started attacking them, and Rion threw Tajikarawo into the front lines with himself to try and block attacks.

Teddie yelled, "There's only one element left!"

"Ukobach!" "Agi!" Souji yelled. It worked just as well as expected. Perfectly.

They fought enemies like this and continued to all the way up to the 5th area. It was tiring for them.

"How much longer?" Yosuke asked.

"Til we find Yukiko," Chie answered.

"Just a little longer," Souji tried to moderate between the two.

This 5th area… was a terrible place. The voices of Yukiko talking about the inn were getting crazier by every floor. Yukiko seemed to be taunting them, and asking them if they could find her. This floor decided to flip the group around whenever they got a certain point. Certain doors would be locked and then they would be flipped around soon after. Overall, the floor didn't like them, not at all. The Shadow was laughing at them.

"This whole thing is so damn stupid!" Yosuke said.

Chie yelled back, "Calm down, Yosuke!"

"This is a pain in the ass," Souji thought, yet he told them, "It'll be okay."

"Eventually, we'll figure it out," Rion said.

There were a few new Shadows as well, while they were being spun around they attacked. They didn't like being attacked in the back. It annoyed Souji for sure. He took out his frustrations on them.

There was a Shadow that was shaped like a pair of white dice. If you were too slow to kill it, they blew up. Souji found out the hard way.

"Damn it, damn it!" Souji yelled as he was thrown back, "This was my good shirt." He surveyed the damage on his clothes. He could never pop the collar on this shirt again.

"Any ideas, Souji?" Chie asked as she picked herself up off the ground.

"Umm…," Souji was thinking.

"Use ice…," Rion said simply as he whacked another pair of dice that had come up behind them. He seemed to have deduced the probability of its weakness.

"Help me Tomoe!" Chie exclaimed as the track star/martial artist came forward. "Bufu!"

Souji watched the dice get hit by ice, and watched the dice fall apart. Chie yelled, "Alright guys! Pile on!"

"I'm trying not to think bad thoughts," Souji muttered as he cut through the dice with his sword.

There was the weird midget Shadow. I guess you could say he looked like a king, with this weird wig.

"Hurry and kill it!" Teddie yelled.

"I'm trying!" Souji replied. "Zio!" It wasn't very effective. Neither was Yosuke's, or Chie's attacks. Rion's attack was even more worthless. "Swift Strike" officially sucks against this king, or whatever it was.

Since they didn't kill it, it waved its wand, or whatever was in its hand. What came out next was just odd, a plant creature that liked to run into Yosuke. When it ran into Yosuke, it knocked Yosuke over.

"Dammit!" Yosuke shouted, "That hurts." He clutched his scraped hand.

"I'll try again," Souji said, "Izanagi! Use Zio on the plant!" The plant shriveled at the attack.

"Now, what to do about the king?" Souji wondered at the fact he lost his subject.

Rion yelled at him, "He's about to summon another one! Try fire!"

"Is it that obvious?" Souji thought for only a second, "Ukobach!" "Agi!"

The king creature fell over and the rest of them prepared to attack. "Are you ready to dance with death?" Rion asked.

Souji was ready to dance, and watched Chie kick the Shadow repeatedly, while Rion cut the Shadow to pieces.

The only other kind of new Shadow was a table Shadow that had forks and knives spinning around it.

"Are we eating dinner in the castle?" Souji asked himself.

Only wind worked on this thing, and Yosuke made quick work of the thing.

Eventually, the group went around the corners by turning backwards to find a room that wasn't locked.

"Finally," Souji said with a sigh of relief that they were stuck in here forever.

"I sense someone behind this door," Teddie said as they were about to enter, "It's that girl's scent."

"I'm ready," Rion said.

"Let's do this!" Chie said, "Let's save Yukiko!"

Yosuke looked determined, "No one is going to stop us."

They walked in to see Yukiko's Shadow, surrounded in purple flames, and standing next to a large knight on horseback. The real Yukiko was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's the real Yukiko?" Rion said.

The Shadow laughed at Rion's question, _"My prince won't lose to guards such as this, correct?"_

Teddie looked rather scared, "I've never seen a Shadow this strong before! It's attacking us!"

The four of them flanked the Avenger Knight! "Izanagi!" "Jiraiya!" "Tajikarawo!" "Tomoe!"

Rion quickly used "Tarunda" with Tajikarawo to lower the power of the knight.

It was soon discovered by the others attacking the knight that physical attacks were ineffective. Souji had even attacked him even after having his attack raised by "Tarukaja" performed by Chie. Souji had blazed by the outreached lance of the knight and hit the knight in the head with his sword.

"Rion… You're going to be in trouble," Souji told him.

"I know. I know," Rion muttered, "Tajikarawo!" "Swift Strike!" The attack barely damaged the knight, but he still charged the Shadow. When the Shadow swung his lance sideways trying to hit him, Rion ducked under, and struck at the horse with his ninjato.

The knight definitely had its own tricks, including a "Skewer" technique rivaling Chie's own, and a "Poison Skewer" that was even more deadly. The first time the "Skewer" of the knight had hit Yosuke, he was knocked down.

"Yosuke!" Chie yelled in concern.

"I'm okay, Chie," Yosuke said as he got up.

"Bufu!" "Zio!" and "Garu!" rang out from the Personas as the group was ineffective from physical standpoint.

"Don't bother using yourselves to reduce or charging your skills," Rion told them, "Leave that to me. You need to save your strength for spells."

"Rion was right", Souji thought as Rion cast "Rakunda" on the Shadow. All the spells they were casting started making Souji unfocused.

The Shadow aimed a "Skewer" at Chie, and Chie dodged it by rolling to her right. She wiped sweat off her brow and sighed in relief. "Thank goodness," she said.

It aimed another "Skewer" at Yosuke, and Yosuke slid under the attack, barely.

"Yosuke!" Chie shouted, "You dodged it!"

"I know…," Yosuke breathed heavily, "I'm okay."

When it aimed for Souji, Souji jumped to his left. The lance caught on his jacket and ripped it off. "First it burns my collar, now it cuts my jacket!" Souji yells, "Now I'm pissed!"

Souji continued to cast "Zio" with Izanagi. While Yosuke followed up with "Garu". Chie was closely behind with "Bufu".

As the knight began to weaken, "Poison Skewer" was aimed at Rion. Rion wasn't going to disappoint the chain of misses by the knight. Rion jumped on top of the lance.  
"Good job, Rion-san!" Teddie yelled.

Rion ran over the lance to hit the top of the knight, not only with the staff and then the sword. It was weakened enough for the head of the knight to fall over even with the ineffectiveness of physical attacks.

"Damn, that was insane," Souji thought as he saw the head roll.

"Awesome!" Chie told Rion.

Yosuke said, "I'm just glad it's over."

Rion didn't say anything, but he was breathing pretty heavily. He had to take most of the attacks, and was healed by Jiraiya's "Dia" after the battle. They had obtained a "Glass Key," after defeating this tough battle.

After the fight, Yukiko's Shadow had a few words for them. She was laughing, _"If you really are my Prince, then we will surely meet again. I am but a trapped soul… I cannot leave this place even if I wished."_ She laughed again.

Teddie said, "I don't sense her anymore. Are you okay, Sensei? I'm sure we've got a long way to go. Don't push yourself too hard! If you're too tired, don't be afraid to head back."

They were all tired. Souji was tired. Yosuke was tired. Chie was tired. Even Rion was tired. That meant one thing; they needed to leave the castle, no matter what Chie would say.

"It's time to leave for today," Souji told them.

"Really?" Chie asked, "If she was right there, I'm sure she's not that far away."

"We're not in a condition to fight, Chie," Souji said.

They did decide to go back for a day after Yosuke dragged her out, not literally of course.

"Bye, guys!" Teddie said as they left…

When they returned from the TV, they sat down in their chairs and got some food.

"Man, this was tough," Yosuke said.

"It could have been worse. We could have died," Rion said.

"That's true," Chie said, "It's always cheery in here," she thought.

"Let's go guys," Souji said.

They headed out and Souji got his usual greeting at the door from Nanako. Looking at the quaint kitchen, the small living room with the small futon, the option going upstairs to his small bedroom seemed refreshing.

The school day was another quick day in his mind. Another dreary day, well it was clear of rain. Somehow, listening to Mooroka yell at people just made it boring and dreary. He asked Rion, who was standing by the calligraphy room, to go into the TV.

"You want to go?" he asked Souji, who nodded. He responded, "Okay, I'll call them up."

This trip was going to be a determined effort to find Yukiko. They had stocked up on medicine, and other materials to protect them from death. This time, they would find her. If the Shadows didn't kill them this day, Chie would.

They met in the usual place. They nodded when they got there. It was time to go. The less time they wasted the better.

They stopped Teddie from bugging them rather quickly. Souji just picked him like a backpack and dragged him to the castle. Hollow Teddie bears are supposed to be light anyways.

Back in the castle, they faced the monster that scared them out of the castle a few days ago. The scary mage with tentacle arms attacked them. There were three of them and immediately flames blazed through the castle. It wasn't cast by the mages, however.

"Senri!" "Maragi!" Souji had called out. He didn't want Chie to be blasted by fire again. It was amazing how well the magic worked on the Shadows. He used it again to destroy them, and again whenever they spotted those mages.

As they were turning the corner, they saw these little crosses with a blue dial and red dial on each side.

"What are these weak things?" Yosuke asked.

It shut him up when it started casting "Bufu" at Yosuke.

"What the hell?" Yosuke wondered as he shook the icicles from his arm, "Rion, move away from the Shadow." "Jiraiya!" "Garu!" That was a very bad idea. The wind flew away from the dials and back at Yosuke.

Souji shook his head, "Alright, alright… magic sucks against them. Nata Taishi!" "Sonic Punch!" It destroyed one of the Shadows.

"Okay, here we go," Chie said, "Tomoe! Skewer!" That strike took out another Shadow.

Rion sighed, "Torrent Shot!" as Tajikarawo's staff pointed towards the Shadow and fired into the cross.

But, by beating those crosses, they made so much noise that they attracted beetles. These beetle Shadows were strong and they wasted no time attacking Souji. The beetle's attack knocked over Souji.

"Rion, take it down!" Souji commanded, as Yosuke helped him up.

"I don't think this is a good idea…," Rion muttered as he charged it. It wasn't as his sword bounced off, and the beetle struck him instead. He ended up on the ground, "I told you this wasn't a good idea."

Chie commanded her Persona after seeing Rion on the ground, "Tomoe!" "Mabufu!" This knocked the beetles over and incapacitated them.

Souji, Chie, and Yosuke were the ones who charged the Shadows as they lay there.

Souji wiped sweat off his brow as they encountered more and more of these Shadows as they climbed up the 7th area. They were trying to get to the 8th, and Souji really wanted to save Yukiko. Though he knew he had time, he wanted to get this over with. But, if there was much longer to go, they'd have to go back again. He shook his arms, trying to break up the lactic acid that was building in his arms. Rion would probably tell him something like that was pointless, but Souji didn't care.

They saw the stairwell to the 8th area. Except there was another knight Shadow that looked similar to the one they had killed yesterday.

"Not again," Yosuke lamented.

"I don't think it's the same," Souji said. He proved his point by summoning Angel and casting "Garu". It barely made a dent on the knight.

"So, it is the same kind of thing," Chie said as the knight tried to "Skewer" her. She was guarded by Rion's Persona.

"Let's try something else," Souji said. He wanted to prove it was not quite the same Shadow. He brought his Persona in bondage towards him and whispered the attack it was to use in her ear. As the Shadow's lance came towards him, white light engulfed it, and it disappeared. "Hama…"

"Nice…," Rion said, readjusting his glasses. He had taken out a cross Shadow enemy in the meantime with his sword.

As the walked up the stairs after some healing by Souji's Archangel, and Yosuke's Jiraiya, they reached the 8th floor. It seemed to be the floor that Yukiko was being held at. It would be where all the hard work paid off, if they can get through this last floor.

"If we can do this, it should make it so much easier," Souji thought.

"Here we go guys!" Yosuke said.

"Finally, we get to save Yukiko!" Chie exclaimed.

"……" Souji wasn't very excited at having to face Yukiko's Shadow however, "I hope we don't screw up," he thought.

"I guess we will have to succeed," Rion muttered.

As they were ready to open the door, Teddie said, "This smell is… It must be her! She is right behind here!"

They confronted the Shadow. Yukiko, in her kimono, was kneeling below the Shadow. The Shadow was in front of a gilded throne, she was looking for a prince after all. But, was the Shadow a princess, or just some phony? She looked like a princess in Souji's eyes.

"Yukiko!" Chie yelled towards her.

"I knew it! There is two of her," Yosuke said.

"That seems to be the case. Suppression of the psyche has caused a rift in Yukiko and it has caused a split between the two," Rion said.

"Thanks for the explanation, but I doubt anyone beside you will understand it," Souji told Rion.

The shadow looked at them, _"Ooh… What's this? Four princes are here to see me! My, my! Are you the surprise guests who came in late? Aww… I wished I'd gotten a better look at you. My, it's getting crowded in here. Why don't you and I go somewhere else? A land far, far away, where no one knows me. If you're my Prince, you'd take me there, won't you? Pretty, please?"_

Souji looked at her wide-eyed, "This is crazy. Maybe, if this was a regular girl… but this is a Shadow… I must avert my eyes."

"Is this scoring a hot stud?" Teddie asked. He got hit on the head by Teddie.

"Four Princes? Does that include me?" Chie asked. Chie looked rather confused.

"Nuh uh, the fourth one has to be me!" Teddie rebuked her.

Yosuke responded, "I seriously doubt that. She doesn't even know you."

Yukiko's shadow laughed, _"Chie… Yes, she's my prince. She always leads the way. Chie's a strong prince. Well, at least she was,"_ The anger in her voice was evident.

"Was…?" Chie looked hurt.

Shadow Yukiko yelled, _"When it comes down to it. Chie is just not good enough! She can't take me away from here. She can't save me!"_

"Yukiko…," Chie said…looking hurt.

"Stop…," the real Yukiko said, getting up slowly. She seemed to have regained some vitality and fight.

"Yukiko!" Yosuke yelled.

The Shadow looked at Rion pointing, _"Will the cute boy over there save me? The one who always helps me?"_

"This question has nothing to do with me," Rion said, "It relies only on your feelings. You can only rely on yourself. I know this has to do your inner thoughts, and only if you accept your reality can you realize your issues."

_"It has everything to do with you. You never tried to help me! You only took care of the outside me, the Yukiko who wanted help with training, and work. You could never save me, a failure!" _The Shadow yelled at him.

"Don't judge him…," Yukiko tried to defend Rion.

"_What about our little innocent boy here?" _the Shadow pointed at Yosuke, _"Maybe he thinks if he tags along enough I'll give him a bone?"_

"Damn…," Yosuke thought, "That's harsh. Okay, she doesn't like me that way."

The Shadow mocked her, _"Historic Inn? Manager Training? I'm sick of all of these things chaining me down! I never asked to be born here! Everything is decided for me! From how I live! To where I fucking die! I'm so sick of it, to hell with it all!"_

"We know it's the Shadow," Rion muttered, "Only in her thoughts does she cuss like this."

Yukiko tried to fight it back, "That's not true…"

The Shadow merrily said, _"I just want to go somewhere far away. Anywhere, but here. Someone take me away, I can't leave on my own. I'm completely useless."_

The Shadow continued to mock her, _"I have no hope if I stay, and no courage to leave. So I sit on my ass hoping that someday my Prince will come. I don't care where we go! Anywhere is fine! As long as it isn't here. I don't give a damn. Historical Tradition! Pride of the Town! What a piece of shit!"_

"How dare you?" Yukiko told the Shadow.

_"That's how I really feel!"_ the Shadow said, _"Isn't that right? Me!"  
__  
_"No!" Yukiko yelled.

"Stop!" Souji commanded.

"Don't say it!" Yosuke demanded.

"No, you're not me!" Yukiko yelled.

"Oh dear!" Rion said as he uncapped his staff.

The Shadow began to laugh as she began to change. _"This feels wonderful. It's building, more and more. If this keeps up… I'll… I'll…"_

The Shadow changed into a creature much different than any of the other Shadows faced before, even different than Rion's, Yosuke's, or Chie's. It was a caged red bird, encased in an open chandelier. It had a white heart birthmark in the center of the bird. It rocked back and forth

The normal Yukiko yelled out in shock. Souji was worried. This was a lot more worrisome than any of the other fights. It'd probably be harder than any of their other fights.

"Yukiko!" Chie yelled out.

"We have to stop it! That girl is in danger!" Teddie said.

"Duh!" Souji said.

"We know…," Yosuke said.

Rion said, "The time is now."

Chie yelled at her, "It's okay, Yukiko. Just hang in there, we'll save you!"

The fight had begun to save Yukiko.

_"I am a Shadow. The true self,"_ the Shadow said and laughed as she said, _"Now my prince, why don't we dance and make merry together." _

"Hang in there, Yukiko! I'm right here for you!" Chie yelled.

The Shadow retorted, _"Oh really? Then I'll give you plenty to deal with!"_

"This one is really tough!" Teddie said.

Yukiko started by summoning the Charming Prince _"Come my Prince!",_ A small Shadow with blond hair and a small sword appeared at the side of Yukiko's Shadow.

"Guys, we need to take that thing out. Chie, blast that thing!" Rion said.

"Senri!" "Tajikarawo!" "Jiraiya!" "Tomoe!" The four yelled.

"You need to protect Chie from fire!" Rion yelled.

Senri had fused the ability and gained "Red Wall" and it was cast on Chie.

It was a good thing too. As soon as "Red Wall" was cast, Yukiko's Shadow cast "Agi" on Chie. Instead of being knocked over like she expected, she was only burned moderately.

The Prince started to attack Rion, his small sword flashing quickly. The sword flashed quickly, only to be intercepted by Rion's own sword. When he pushed the Prince's sword to the side, he used his shoulder to shove the Prince away.

Meanwhile, Yukiko's Shadow was still busy. She used "Double Fangs" on Souji, which knocked him over.

Yosuke proceeded to help Souji up, and cast "Dia!" with Jiraiya.

"Thanks," Souji nodded.

"No problem," Yosuke said, "Rush the prince." Jiraiya proceeded to charge the Prince, fists forward.

"Tomoe!'' "Bufu!" Chie was sick of the Prince's ugly face, and the Prince was knocked over by the shards of ice that had lodged in its legs and arms.

"Let's go, partner!" Yosuke told him, trying to commit him to a charge.

Souji nodded in agreement with Yosuke. Chie started first, and kicked the Prince high in the face with her right leg. She followed up with a roundhouse with her left. Yosuke hit the prince with his right kunai and then spun around and diagonally to hit him again. Rion had sheathed his sword and instead just hit the prince over the head with his staff. Souji just came in and stabbed it straight in the gut, and then dislodged it by shaking it off.

As the Prince struggled to get up, it cast "White Wall" on itself.

"Chie, your Bufu skills aren't going to work," Souji responded.

"Well… then," Chie wasn't sure. She turned her "Bufu" towards Yukiko's Shadow who returned the favor with "Double Fangs".

After Yukiko's Shadow's attack on Chie, she turned her attention on her Prince. She had prepped herself for a healing spell. All of their hard work to kill that Shadow would be erased.

"Guys…," Souji warned.

Before the words left his mouth the Prince was disappearing in purple flames. Tajikarawo had his staff extended. "Swift Strike…," Rion had muttered.

Yukiko's Shadow tried to re-summon the Shadow. It didn't appear again, _"My prince, my dear prince! Why, why won't it come?"_

This obviously made her very, very angry. Yukiko's Shadow would make them regret killing her prince.

"She looks angry," Teddie remarked.

"Thanks for stating the obvious," Souji said, as Yukiko's Shadow came down with her "Double Fangs" at him.

"Rakunda!" Rion commanded, as he weakened Yukiko's defense. His sword was worthless now. He could jump high, but not that high. His staff was his only way to strike his opponent.

Yukiko's Shadow had one other nasty attack that she decided to just release right now. "Burn to Ashes" was an attack that hit everyone with a swath of flames. Two words… Poor Chie.

"Red Wall" had long since dissipated, and Chie was lying on the floor. Souji and Yosuke weren't in much better condition, but they were at least still standing. His Personas reflected their owners' status. That meant Rion was the least burnt out of all of them.

Yukiko's Shadow tried to finish off Chie with another "Agi", but Rion got in the way of the Shadow's attack.

"Sorry… you can't take us out," Rion said with a grimace.

Souji staggered up. He switched Personas, "Archangel!" "Media!" That helped the healing process for the four, so they could continue. If they didn't heal, they wouldn't last.

Souji switched back to Senri and recast "Red Wall" to give Chie a fighting chance.

So, it became a repetitive battle of using "Bufu", katana, kunai, and "Rakunda", against "Burn to Ashes. Then it would consist of "Media", "Red Wall", and more "Rakunda". Then it would continue over and over. Who would keel over first?

The Shadow answered that question as she disappeared into purple flames, screaming all the while.

"Yukiko! Yukiko, are you hurt?" Chie asked.

"I'm not hurt," Yukiko said as she turned towards her shadow. She was clutching her right arm for support.

"We understand, you're not the only one like that, Yukiko-san. Everyone has something they can't show other people, or they don't want to admit to the world," Yosuke said.

"It isn't easy to admit to the world that we are not just black and white, but that we have many shades of grey," Rion told her. He shook his head, and fingered a burned hole in his sweater.

Chie hung her head, "Yukiko, I'm sorry. I was so self-centered, I never understood what you were going through. I'm your friend, but I never understood what you were going through."

"Chie…," Yukiko said slowly.

"I was always jealous of you, Yukiko. You had everything I didn't. That jealousy was like a wall, and I was so lonely. I wanted you to need me, but it I who needed you. I can't do anything right on my own. I've caused so much trouble for Yosuke and the others. If you weren't here, I wouldn't know what to do," Chie was literally crying into Yukiko's arms as she had walked over to her.

"Chie… I never saw the real you, either. I was too busy trying to find an easy way out." She looked at Chie and comforted her. She walked over and faced her Shadow, "I want to run away, I want someone to save me. You're right, those feelings are a part of me, too. I understand now, you are me."

The shadow disappeared and in its place appeared a Persona of pink beauty. "Konohana Sakuya". She fell and the others rushed to her side.

"The mother of Japan…," Rion said softly.

"Yukiko!" Chie ran to her side exactly at the moment she fell.

"I'm okay, I'm just a little tired. You all came for me," Yukiko said.

"Yeah… We have too much time on our hands. Just kidding," Rion said. He was smiling for a change.

"Of course," Chie said.

She muttered thanks and Chie said not to mention it. She was rubbing tears from her eyes.

"Right on!" Yosuke said.

"Who knows what she would have done if you weren't there?" Souji said.

"So, who threw you in here?" Teddie asked.

She looked surprised at Teddie's presence and asked, "Who are you and what are you?"

"I'm Teddie, so you threw you in?"

"I don't know… I think someone called my name. My memory is a blur, so I can't remember who it was. Sorry, umm… Teddie," Yukiko responded.

"Now we know, someone did throw her in," Yosuke said.

"Someone threw her in, and called her name," Souji shrugged. "We don't know that much," He thought.

"Then it isn't you guys!" Teddie exclaimed.

"You mean you still suspected us!" Yosuke said.

"No… No… Absolutely not," Teddie said.

"He's lying," Rion said definitively.

"You're such a bad liar," Souji said. "So much for being my friend," Souji thought, "Oh well, someone has to protect him."

"Let's just hurry back, Yukiko is tired," Chie said as Yukiko dipped her head and needed help to keep standing.

As Yukiko was supported by Chie and they started to walk away, Teddie asked worriedly, "Wait, you're leaving me here!?"

"You do live here," Souji said.

"What do you want us to do?" Rion said.

"But…," Teddie said anxiously.

Yukiko comforted him, "We'll be back. I promise to come back. Be a good boy and wait until then." She rubbed the top of his head.

Teddie purred, "My, it's getting crowded in here, why don't you and I go somewhere else? Pretty, please?" He quoted the Shadow, word for word. It didn't have a favorable response.

"He's just getting worse and worse," Souji muttered.

Yosuke looked disgusted, "You're giving me the creeps. You're stuck in here for the rest of your life."

After leaving the world, they stopped not at the typical table, but instead at a larger covered table in Junes. Yukiko was the only one sitting there. The rest were standing around, making sure she was alright.

"Yukiko, are you alright?" Chie said, "You're not hurt anywhere?" She still looked really worried, even though they rescued her.

"Just tired…," she responded.

"How did you get in there?" Souji asked.

"I just don't remember anything," Yukiko said.

"That's okay," Rion said, "If you don't remember anything we will figure it out eventually."

Yosuke said worriedly," Well, Yukiko was attacked just like the other two. The one on the Midnight Channel was her Shadow, not the real one."

"Teddie was saying something like that," Chie said.

"Who would be doing this?" Yosuke asked.

"A deranged person," Souji said.

"Pretty much," Rion said.

"Let's call it a day, guys." Souji said.

"Yeah, she needs her rest," Yosuke agreed.

"Good idea!" Chie said, "I'll take Yukiko home. I want to make sure she gets home safely."

He was stopped by Yosuke before he left. All of the others were already gone. This kind of annoyed him. He wanted to get some rest.

"Yeah, what is it?" Souji asked.

"We'll have to ask Yukiko when she gets her strength back," Yosuke said, "But, we don't know how much she really knows."

"I don't think she remembers much of anything," Souji replied.

"We'll just have to keep searching for the killer," Yosuke shrugged.

Souji nodded, "The bear will be happy to hear that."

Souji and Yosuke walked away after sharing goodbyes. Souji was more that happy to leave.

Souji really would be enjoying being able to sleep tonight, because he was really exhausted. He would finally be able to relax, and not worry about running into the TV all the time. He didn't like trying to whack knights, mages, or weird bird things. All Souji knew was, he was going to have one hell of a nightmare tonight when he would be able to sleep.

When he did get home, he was sitting around with Nanako… He was waiting for his instant food to be ready so he could eat and go to bed when he heard the door open. "It must be Dojima…," Souji thought.

"He's home!" Nanako sounded elated and got up to greet her father.

Instead, when Souji turned his head, he saw that Adachi was with Dojima. That fact had confused Nanako it seemed.

"Um… hello," Nanako asked the strange man, Adachi.

"Hi there," Adachi responded.

Dojima filled the void, and the awkwardness, "We got off at the same time, so I'm giving him a ride back to his place. And I thought we might as well swing by."

"This must be really confusing for a seven year-old," Souji thought, "I don't think she knows what a gofer is."

Adachi explained, "Nice to meet ya. I'm Adachi, the guy who's been your dad's slave since spring."

Doijma turned to Adachi and gave him a look, "I can still work you harder, ya know."

"Haha, good one, Sir! Ha… ha…," Adachi looked at Dojima, and realized his superior wasn't joking. Adachi then turned towards Souji, "Oh, I almost forgot! You're friends with Yukiko Amagi, right?"

"Yes," Souji said. Souji tried his best to sound as inconspicuous as possible.

"They found her safe and sound. Tell all your friends at school," Adachi said happily.

"That's a relief," Souji tried to keep up his act. How would you explain that we saved Yukiko by jumping in a TV and killing a big bird monster that told her she hated working at the Inn?

"Yeah, for us on the force too," Adachi replied, "But this doesn't mean the case is closed yet, though. We were just questioning Ms. Amagi, but she says she doesn't remember anything that happened while she was missing."

"Really? That's odd," Souji said.

"We can't figure out her whereabouts during the missing period either. It's like she really disappeared," Adachi sighed.

"You have no idea how really true that is," Souji thought.

"It's all pretty fishy, if you ask me. Like there's something else going on," Adachi said.

At this point, Dojima hit Adachi over the head in frustration. Adachi recoiled in pain. "Stop blabbering, dumbass!" Dojima ordered. Souji chuckled on the inside.

"Sorry," Adachi looked at the ground.

Dojima looked at Souji, "Ignore him… He's just spouting some wild fantasy."

"Are you doubting Yukiko?" Souji asked.

"Don't worry…," Dojima replied, "The police aren't people who are going to believe everything they hear." Dojima nodded at Adachi, "He's just muttering to himself. Don't listen to him."

At that moment, Nanako said from her sitting position, "I'm hungry. Is this food almost ready?"

"It should be…," Souji said.

"Hey, you're right. My stomach is growling too," Dojima responded to his daughter. He catered to his daughter when he was home.

Adachi looked at Dojima, "Ahaha… So you do have a softer side around Nanako-chan, Sir."

He yelled at Adachi, "Shut up and wash those hands before you sit down." He smiled, "I should do the same."

"At least dinner won't be too boring," Souji thought, "And maybe Nanako won't think we're fighting today."

When Souji got to sleep, it wasn't too bad after all. It wasn't as much of a nightmare, but more of a triumphant victory over evil. Not too bad at all.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
I am butchering dialogue, battles, and s-links to get the novel version respectable. I can make characters more cynical, mean, out of character, and amusing. My character is "special" personality-wise. My character is a compilation of all members of my mythology club. The personas are more integrated in battle than in the game. I'm giving up on integrating differences in fonts for thoughts and others, I'll just list thoughts as I see them.

Language is by far the biggest issue in this story because it is the novelization of P4. A lot of the story is close to the same, so expect some to be word for word. That means language won't be the nicest at times. Some Chapters are much better than others.

This is a filler chapter. I have finished this, so I'm posting it.

* * *

Souji was very glad to not have to worry about saving Yukiko anymore. The bad news; they still have no clue who threw Yukiko into the TV. Chie was sure to be ecstatic, and Yosuke will be relieved. Rion… Rion will be Rion. Souji was just glad they saved them before the fog set in. He didn't mind eating the same food as usual, and he helped Yosuke with a question on where civilizations develop. It's a question usually Rion would answer, but for some reason Yosuke asked him. "Probably because I'm closer. I do sit next to him after all," he thought. He just told them it was near the riverside, and it worked out all nicely.

He spent time with Yosuke afterwards. Dealing with annoying Junes workers was a lovely pastime. "It must be tough," Souji said, "Dealing with all those jerks."

"What do you mean?" Yosuke asked.

"Can't they just go to work instead of being a pain in the ass?" Souji responded.

"I wish," Yosuke shrugged, "I'm not the person to go to. I have more important stuff to do, ya know?"

Souji nodded. He replied, "Murders are important business."

The next day, he met with Daisuke, Kou, and Yosuke to hang out at Junes. It was amusing to watch Kou and Daisuke comment that someone could fall into the TV, and Yosuke freak out about it. The first day after the day off, Souji noticed that you could join a Culture club. After answering that thieves break in the morning, he went to the Music club, and noticed Rion was there with a saxophone. He suddenly recoiled at the thought of being in a club with Rion, and his thoughts of the club became even worse when he saw a certain trombone player who also seemed to be in the club. "Who the hell is that?" he thought. "She looks so scary!"

Rion was one thing. It wasn't too bad if he was in a club with him. He'd probably be meticulously about things and a perfectionist, but he probably wouldn't be too bad to be around. This other person looked so scary… He was just scared shitless.

"You're part of the Music club, Rion?" Souji asked, walking up to the saxophone player who was sitting in a seat in the front row. He was holding sheet music, and humming to himself. Souji thought he probably memorizing whatever music he was holding.

"Yeah, is that a problem?" he responded.

"Well, no, but who the hell is that?" Souji voiced his earlier thought.

Rion almost laughed, "That's Ayane, and she's a trombonist. She's not very good, but she does a lot of work for us."

"She looks like a human bred with a Pikachu," Souji told him.

Rion shook his head, "Well, that's an opinion." He looked at her, "But I see the resemblance."

"No thanks, I'll check out another club," Souji answered.

"It's probably a good thing I didn't join," Souji thought, as he left. He muttered as he left, "I'd probably be shocked to death.

"Goodbye," Rion said as he walked away.

Souji decided to go into the Drama club, and joined that instead. He noticed that one girl was better than the so-called president as they tried out for parts. The president and the vice-president looked like they were ready to make-out at any moment anyways. She looked like she had emotional issues though. Her name was Yumi Ozawa.

"Hi, you want to help with memorizing this script?" she asked, "You can be the other lead."

"Uhh… sure, whatever," Souji humored the girl.

He wasted some time with Yumi and headed home. He wasn't very good at theatre, Souji decided. He screwed up at memorizing six lines. "I'm not a sorrowful moon," Souji muttered.

He went home after Drama club. After eating Nanako's food for dinner, he found some old white miso in the fridge for a snack. He decided to eat it. Afterwards, he felt rather queasy. He decided to puke his guts out in the bathroom and go to bed.

He did feel like he could score better than Teddie could after eating that though. But, scoring... might be a problem if he was green and couldn't eat anything.

Souji spent time helping Chie with answering what a perfect numbers was only to get kicked in the nads training with her. "Next time, I just watch," he muttered as he left. She seemed really excited to train with him though.

"We need to get stronger!" Chie exclaimed.

"Okay," Souji said.

They started training, but hand-to-hand isn't his forte.

He also ditched class with the trainer of the Basketball club to hold her bags as she shopped. "At least she's easy on the eyes, but she probably won't make it to the next grade," Souji shook his head. "I don't know if I prefer training with Chie, or heavy lifting with Ai," Souji said to himself, "I know the lifting is easier on my lower parts."

The fog was coming, so after eating his ramen and gained the understanding that he can't eat worth shit, his knowledge that he can't eat worth shit, and the courage to try to eat that much shit.

It was April 29th and the fog was coming… The weatherwoman was quite annoying tonight, "After a few days of persistent rain, fog will enter Inaba tonight and last until the morning."

"Thank you Miss Stupid," Souji thought, "We know what happens after it rains consecutively now. At least we saved Yukiko." No more dead bodies.

He went up to his room to watch the Midnight Channel after talking to Nanako and tucking her in. He wasted his time making sure it was raining and the fog was setting in. He watched the yellow screen come on. There was no one the screen suffering, being massacred, or otherwise.

Someone else wasn't very happy though with the results.

In the fog-ridden shopping district

------  
Souji went to school the next day, and saw Yukiko waiting for him by the gates. Souji walked over to her. She seemed quite nervous, but she seemed like she wanted to talk to him. This was news to Souji.

"Oh… Good morning, Souji," She said to him.

"Hey, likewise. Feeling better, are you?" he said.

"Y… Yeah. I'll be coming to school again, so, that'll be nice. I caused everyone so much trouble. I'm sorry. No, sorry isn't enough. What I mean to say, is, thank you," Yukiko smiled at Souji.

"Don't worry about it," Souji replied, "I'm glad you're feeling better."

She seems relieved and happy. "My mom's back to work already. The maids are being really supportive, and I think things are going even smoother than before. I wonder if I was trying too hard. I may have been caught in the idea that I had to do everything myself. Ever since the incident… I feel like I can think about these things more calmly. But… It's still kind of embarrassing. You guys saw everything, even the things I didn't want to admit."

"It was hilarious," he thought, but he said as Souji looked at her with a calmly, "It's not a problem, because it's only one part of you."

"I'd like to believe that…," Yukiko told Souji. She was still smiling.

At that point, Chie came up and yelled, "Yukiko!"

"Oh! It's Chie! I'll talk to you later," Yukiko was ditching Souji. Yet, she was still smiling at Souji.

"It's good we were able to save her," Souji thought. Souji seemed oddly happy. He was rather cheerful at talking to Yukiko. He put that thought out of his mind. "If he told Yosuke, he'd laugh at him or plan something crazy with him. If he told Rion… "No, he probably already knows…," Souji was thinking

"Hey, Souji! Are you coming to school?" Rion asked, "If you want to ditch, you should tell us first. Remember, we're meeting Yukiko today."

"I'm coming," Souji responded.

He nodded and headed through the gates and into the school. He answered some stupid question about some stupid question about what's the tallest mountain in the solar system. Souji said, "Mt. Olympus," the teacher said it was correct. Then Souji corrected him since there is a Mt. Olympus in Greece, not just related to mythology, and it's rather small. The Olympus Mons on Mars is much taller, and the teacher looked like a moron. Rion looked at him. He shook his head at the teacher.

Souji managed to get through the rest of his classes by making paper airplanes and flinging them at Yosuke. He had a paper airplane war until Morooka yelled at him.

After school: Rion, Chie, Yosuke, and Souji were waiting on the roof. Yukiko brought soba and fried tofu for her and Chie. Yosuke looked longingly at the food. Souji was a little hungry too. He hadn't made a feasible lunch for himself this morning.  
"Sorry to keep you waiting. The soba is yours, right, Chie?" Yukiko asked as she walked up to them.

"Thanks! Ohh… That smells so good. These instant noodles are just the thing to help me through club. How much longer do I have to wait on this?" Chie asked. She looked really hungry.

Yukiko responded, "It still needs a few minutes."

"So why are we here? Oh, yeah. We were going to ask Yukiko what happened," Chie looked at her best friend.

Yosuke looked at her, "I hate to bring this back up since you'd rather not think about it, Yukiko-san, but I need to ask if you remember anything about when you got kidnapped?"

"I thought we covered this already," Souji said. He thought to himself, "Why are we wasting time?"

"This will be pointless," Rion muttered, "We are not going to learn anything new."

"No… I thought I might remember if I sit on it for a while, but as time passes, it only gets hazier. I think the doorbell rang at the entrance, and someone called for me. When I woke up, I was already in the castle. I'm sorry," Yukiko said forlornly.

"Nothing to be sorry about," Souji said. There was a kidnapping. If you were kidnapped and thrown into a TV, did you really expect to remember what happened when you thrown in?

"Don't worry about it," Rion said.

Chie looked at her, "No need to apologize. I thought we went over this a thousand times. Does this mean her visitor is the culprit?"

Yosuke waved his arm, "I don't know. If it is, it's one daring criminal. What kind of killer would ring the doorbell?"

"A crazy one," Souji said, "He's probably someone who thinks ahead about this."

"The police are probably looking for witnesses, but I don't think we can expect much from them. Heh, as if the culprit wore bright yellow clothing at the scene at the crime," Yosuke shrugged.

Chie asked, "I wonder why whoever it is would do stuff like this?"

"It seems that we can not figure that out until we understand our culprit better," Rion sighed, "We probably won't know exactly why until we confront the culprit ourselves."

"We can be sure of one thing. It is no coincidence that people keep disappearing and ending up in that place. Someone here is taking people and throwing them into the TV. It's murder all right," Yosuke said.

"Hmm, you don't know ability the suicidal pact we made with the bear." Souji told Yukiko.

"Oh yeah, we never told you. This crazy guy and I are going to capture the criminal ourselves. The police are out of their league, but we have our Personas," Yosuke told her with a cheery expression.

"Could you lend us a hand, Yukiko? We need more people, cause Chie and Rion kind of suck," Souji asked. His second sentence was with sarcasm.

"Thanks a lot, Souji…," Rion said with fake anger.

"Souji!" Chie yelled.

"Okay…," Yukiko said, but she was nervous.

"I'm helping out, too," Chie said with vigor, "I can't believe someone would throw people into a place like that. I'm going to kick whoever is doing this so hard."

Souji looked at her incredulously. She was really into this.

"Chie…," Yukiko looked at her with happiness.

"If I don't help out, everyone dies, and more people end up on telephone poles," Rion muttered.

"Of course, he's arrogant," Souji thought.

The group started talking back and forth while the girls waited for their instant food to cook. The conversation had shifted back to Yukiko.

"Let me help, too…," Yukiko suddenly said, "I want to know why this is happening. Especially if someone hates me enough they want to kill me. I don't want to run away from myself anymore."

"We won't deny you the chance to beat the shit out of this guy or girl," Rion said.

Souji nodded as he looked at her, "Why wouldn't we let you help? We want your help." Souji had another giddy feeling in his stomach when he said that. "What is going on with me…? What the hell is going on?"

Yosuke got off the rooftop, "Alright, Then let's all work together and catch this asshole."

Yukiko smiled, "Agreed.'

"This is much better than sitting on my ass all year," Souji said.

The group started talking amongst each other again.

Chie looked at them, "How are we going to find them? We don't have any leads yet?"

"I'm the third one to be targeted so far, but I don't feel this is going to be the end of it. If we have an idea of who will be targeted next, wouldn't we have an advantage?" Yukiko replied.

"We'll outsmart them, then?" Souji replied.

"That could work. Let's find out what ties the victims together," Yosuke said.

"Yamano, Konishi, and Yukiko," Rion said, "It's obvious if you want to do it simplistically." Rion shook his head.

"What do they have in common?" Yosuke said, thinking for once.

"They are females…," Souji said.

Chie looked rather pissed off, "How dare he target females. Guy has to be some pervert."

"How about this option? The second and third victim had a connection to the first case…," Yosuke pointed out.

Rion looked down, "That is true," He pushed up his glasses, "Still… what about…? Hmm… if someone else shows up… I don't know," Rion was thinking to himself.

"Hey, that's right. Yukiko and Saki-senpai both had connections to that announcer," Chie said.

"Does that mean females connected in some way to Ms. Yamano's case are being targeted?" Yukiko said.

"That's a safe assumption for now," Yosuke said to the two, "If another person disappears…"

"They'd be on the Midnight Channel," Souji replied.

"You think so? It happened right before Yukiko was kidnapped, too" Chie said.

"It did happen before they disappeared," Souji said.

"It's hard to tell at first though," Yosuke motioned.

"A ransom note, then?" Rion said. Rion's head was still down and thinking.

"We don't know why it happened, but we'll have to rely on it for now.  
Yukiko looked down, "The next time it rains…"

Souji looked at them, "Aren't those done by now?"

Yosuke seconded that, "Shouldn't they be?"

Chie looked at them, "Woah! That's right. Chow time!"

The two of them opened their food and prepared to eat. Rion shook his head, adjusted his glasses, and let out a sigh as Yukiko and Chie started eating.

"Hey, could I try just a little bit of that? Just one little tiny bit?" Yosuke asked Chie.

Chie looked at Yosuke, "Hey, hands off the soba, pal! Go get your own if you want some. Uhh… Okay, but just one little tiny bite."

She handed the soba to Yosuke who looked very happy with the food. Yosuke was slurping it down very quickly. Chie wasn't noticing…

Yukiko asked Souji, "Do you want try some?"

"Sure, I'll try a bite," Souji replied. "She's so nice," Souji thought, "To me…"

"Great, I get left out again…," Rion muttered.

Yosuke said as he was eating it, "It's so good. The flavor, the aroma, and the texture all combined. It's perfect."

They ended up eating more and more of it until it was all gone. "Uh oh…," Souji thought.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Chie asked as she confronted Yosuke. She looked rather pissed.

The two of them gave the bowls back to Yukiko and Chie. Souji had a really guilty look on his face.

"You ate everything…," Chie said.

Yukiko muttered sadly, "M... my fried tofu."

Chie went to Yosuke, "I hope you know what this means!"

Souji's hands started to move towards his lower areas of his body. He swear he could see Rion chuckling, but he remembered that Rion didn't laugh.

Yosuke was flustered, "Wait… Stop! I'm sorry! I'll buy you steak. It'll be on me. You hear me? The very best."

Chie suddenly was excited at the prospect of food, "Steak?"

Nothing would cheer up Yukiko however. Not even the prospect of food, meaty food, "My tofu…"

"C'mon, Yukiko. There's steak in it for us now. We can get instant noodles anytime we want. Right?"

Yukiko still looked sad, "Well… As long as it isn't too fatty." Souji looked guilty and shared a look with Yukiko saying in his eyes, "I'm sorry." Her eyes saying, "You ate my food."

Chie turned to Yosuke, "Okay… We've reached a verdict. You're hereby sentenced to buying us steak. What wouldn't be too fatty? Fillet? Ohh, fillet sounds nice and expensive. Filet, Filet, Filet Mignon."

Yosuke looked at Souji and said, "Hey, you got to pony up too. You're just as much as guilty as me."

Souji looked at Rion, "Don't look at me, I didn't eat anything," Rion said. "You're evil, ya know?" he told him.

"Me?" Rion looked him, "What did I do?"

"You're not helping us out," Yosuke responded.

All five of them headed off to Junes. Yosuke came up with two steak platters for Yukiko and Chie. It wasn't filet mignon. Still, he served it up Yukiko and Chie. Chie looked at it somewhat excitedly. Even if it wasn't filet… it's meat. Yukiko… she sees it as fat.

"Man, talk about great timing. We just started serving grilled steak today. We're doing our part to serve our town's specialty dish. Plus, we've already got an excellent grill," Yosuke bragged.

"That's just a Yakisoba griddle. Oh well, steak is steak," Chie said, "It's far from a fillet steak though. Yukiko, are you okay with this? It's not too heavy for you?""

"I'll eat it. I'm still mad though…," she replied.

"I'm sorry, Yukiko…," Souji said.

"I'll forgive you," She told him.

"Back on topic, then. I wonder what kind of killer this culprit is," Chie said.

Yosuke motioned to Chie, "If you just focus on the announcer's case, it would seem like a revenge thing. Maybe it was her lover's wife."

Chie rebuked, "Misuzu Hiragi had a solid alibi though. It seemed that she was already separated from her husband."

"Like she didn't give a shit what her husband did." Souji said.

"I doubt it too," Rion said.

"You know an awful lot about this Chie," Yosuke replied to Chie, "What about the second case? Saki-senpai… She found the announcer's body. Assuming the same person killed them both, then why kill Senpai?"

"It was to keep her quiet… Since she found her body… She may have found something," Souji said.

"We can not rule out that possibility," Rion said, "It isn't a coincidence however, and there is one other similarity."

"But the killer just threw the announcer into a TV, right? I don't think he would have left evidence that a high school student would find. Especially, since the police came up with nothing," Yukiko said.

"Remember, this is the police we're talking about. Sorry, Souji…," Rion replied to Souji.

"No worries," Souji said. "I know Adachi is a loser, but Dojima doesn't suck."

"Yeah, exactly…," Yosuke said.

Just then, Adachi came up with his cabbage patch kids near the group.

"Man, I thought the countryside would be a snooze, but it's proving a lot more exciting than I thought," Adachi said to himself. He seemed to in his own little world.

He walked up to the counter and noticed, "Ohh… They updated the menu."

Chie looked at him, "Huh, isn't he that detective?"

"No, he's a defective!" Rion said.

Everyone laughed at Rion's statement. Souji did wonder how Rion knew of Adachi.

"Hey, you were at Dojima-san's. I'm not… Wait… This is great timing after all. Dojima-san said he'd be leaving work on schedule tonight. Could you tell Nanako-chan?"

"Sure…," Souji replied.

"Yo, I'm Adachi. I'm Dojima's gofer. Ohh, I mean partner."

Yosuke asked Adachi, "You this busy every day?"

"Well, the public seems to get a charge out of these cases, but we can't leave it like that," Adachi replied.

Chie butted in and asked, "Do you think Saki-senpai was targeted by the killer to silence her?"

Adachi looked nervous, "You sure get straight to the point, don't you. We're also thinking around those same lines. She was killed around the same time the announcer's body was found. If the killer was trying to silence her, then there might have been something at the scene that only she would have understood. That would mean that the culprit would have to be someone close to Ms. Konishi. Nothing like that points to Misuzu Hiragi, so… Ooh, I might have stumbled across something here. Wait, you were listening to all that. Damn me and my big ass mouth."

"What a fucking moron," Souji thought, "I can't believe he thought we weren't listening." He said under his breath.

"Don't tell anyone I said that, or Dojima will flay me alive. Relax, kids, the police are on the job."

Adachi then left Junes with the cabbage in hand.

"I told you, a fucking moron!" Souji said.

Chie said to Yosuke, "You were right, the police are totally worthless."

"God help us if we leave it them," Rion said.

Chie suddenly noticed, "Augh… My steak is getting cold!"

Yosuke turned to her and exclaimed, "Could you shut up about the steak for five seconds?"

Rion looked to him, "If you value your life, I would leave her in peace…"

The two finished eating, and then they entered into the TV world. Yosuke had to drag Chie away from her steak. That resulted in a lot of bruises for Yosuke.

Yukiko was bemused, "Wow… This really is inside the TV. It's Teddie. T hen it wasn't a dream."

"Are you feeling better, Yuki-chan?" Teddie asked, as he walked up to her, "I've did what you said. I've been a good bear."

"Oh… I see, good boy," Yukiko responded. She smiled at Teddie.

Yosuke looked at her, "Well, this bear is part of the reason we want to find the culprit."

Yukiko looked at Teddie, "I'm one of the group now, too. Let's work together, okay?"

Teddie replied, "Yep! I was thinking the same thing. That's why I got these ready for you, Yuki-chan."

He pulled out a pair of those glasses, they were red, gave them to Yukiko, and Yukiko put them on.

She responded to the gift, "Oh… so these are what everyone is wearing. Thank you, Teddie," She looked surprised when she put them on, "You're right. I t's as if the fog doesn't exist."

Chie asked Teddie, "Hey, tell me something? How come you have so many pairs of glasses?"

Teddie responded, "Excellent question! I'm the one who makes them."

"I thought you would have figured that out by now, Chie," Rion said.

Souji thought, "Rion really is a smart-ass. That's why he's so useful."

"I've lived here for a long time, so I've found a few ways to make myself comfortable," Teddie said.

Yukiko asked, "I see, but don't you need a pair?"

"Good point, another good question. My eyes themselves are lenses," Teddie explained.

"You got to be kidding me," Souji said, "That would explain some things."

"You didn't know that?" Teddie asked inquisitively.

"Of course we didn't," Yosuke said.

"Why are you being mean? You act like you aren't interested. I'm a really dexterous bear. See how smoothly my fingers move."

Teddie walked up to Yosuke and moved his fingers up and around Yosuke.

"What the hell are we supposed to see?" Yosuke, Souji, and Rion said simultaneously.

Souji told the bear, "You know this looks wrong, right?"

Yosuke pushed him back

"Ow…," Teddie replied as he went down, and came back up.

Yukiko noticed something on the floor, "Hmm… You dropped something."

He looked at her, "Ohh… That's a pair I kind of screwed up on."

Yukiko took her glasses off and put those on, "Ohh…,"

"Oh… Umm… Yukiko?" Chie said as she looked at Yukiko.

Yukiko was chuckling, "Ahaha! How do I look?"

"Brilliant!" Souji was laughing his head off. The pair had a large fake nose, swirly lenses, and a mustache.

"Oh dear…," Rion said. It seemed even Rion was trying to contain a chuckle.

Yukiko was laughing.

Teddie looked at her inquisitively, "Do you like that one, Yuki-chan?"

"I want to wear this one. It's even got a nose guard," Yukiko said.

Chie looked at worriedly, "Oh no, you don't."

Teddie looked sad, "How bear-y unfortunate. That pair doesn't have the right lenses in it. I guess I should have made an actual pair."

"Aww… Too bad," Yukiko looked dismayed.

She took them off and motioned to Chie, "Here, Chie. Your turn!"

She sighed, "Fine, alright." Chie had taken the glasses and put them on.

"Snrk… hehee.. Hahaha." Yukiko was laughing uncontrollably.

"How'd it come to this?" Chie said.

"Yukiko-san? Hello?" Yosuke asked.

"There goes one of Yukiko's laughing fits. I never thought she'd do it when someone other besides me was around. These stupid glasses are useless for investigating. I mean what the hell is this nose for anyways?" Chie said.

Rion looked at Teddie, "I have to agree that they are rather pointless for investigative purposes."

"Nice work, huh? That's what you get when you leave me alone here with nothing to do, and I get bored," Teddie explained.

"At least she's happy again," Souji said.

"Oh, Chie… The look on your face… Snrk, it was so funny. I can't stop laug…laughing. Oh… my stomach. Ahaha," Yukiko was dying with laughter.

After replacing Chie's glasses to her normal pair, and waiting for Yukiko to regain consciousness; they headed back. They promptly headed back to their respective living quarters.

Souji returned to his quaint home, or Dojima's quaint home, and was enjoying a quiet dinner with the three when a conversation broke out.

"The 4th and the 5th…," Dojima said, "I think I might be able to get the 4th and the 5th off."

Nanako looked excited, "Really!" She then didn't look so happy after thinking about something for a second. She seemed to have realized something, "Really…?"

Dojima dropped the newspaper, "What you don't believe me?"

Nanako's face dropped, "It's always canceled…"

Dojima looked worried, "Not every year… I know you wanted to go to Junes, but I wouldn't mind going somewhere farther out of the neighborhood."

"Really? Can we go on a trip?" Nanako asked.

"Well, it might be okay to go on a trip once in a while. I'm sure it will be crowded everywhere though," Doijma replied.

"Yay… We're going on a trip!" Nanako seemed overjoyed.

"Alright… We need to think of somewhere to go," He looked at Souji, "How about you? You want to come along with us?"

"Sure, I'll come along," Souji said, "As long as she doesn't sing the Junes theme all the way there and back," he was thinking.

"Yeah! Let's all go on a trip together!" Nanako said, clearly happy.

"Looks like Nanako wants us all to go," Dojima said.

"Let's bring boxed lunches!" Nanako exclaimed.

"Good idea! We're always eating side dishes for dinner," Dojima told them, "Though I can't cook, and Nanako's not good enough yet to make them by herself," He got up and put his hand on Souji's shoulder, "It'll work out. That's what we've got this guy for."

"Yay! Boxed lunches!" Nanako was very happy.

"At least I can make some food I'll like," Souji said, "It'll taste better than old miso, that's for sure." Souji did wonder if he could cook adequately. He didn't want to make something inedible and poison his uncle.

He headed up to bed the feeling that these few days will be pretty good. Where would we go? What would we do? Would I live through my own box lunches?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
I am butchering dialogue, battles, and s-links to get the novel version respectable. I can make characters more cynical, mean, out of character, and amusing. My character is "special" personality-wise.

If you can guess, there's a little rivalry between the OC and Souji. It's mainly Souji harping on Rion in secret. You'll see the intro of the person in blue, and another rivalry forming. That'll be very important later on. Thanks and Auf Wiedersehen.

I own nothing. SMT and Persona owns it all, including my money.

* * *

A day passed where Souji could start to fish, and he caught some stupid goldfish. For some reason, he got tired after one cast. Souji must not have eaten enough ramen yet.  
"Stupid ass fishing," he thought and cursed the old man who gave him the rod.

The next day, he got some stupid lecture from Morooka about how exams were coming up. After school, Chie and Yukiko came up to his desk. Souji very quickly cleared it off when they came by.

Yukiko shyly asked Souji, "Hey, Souji? Want to go study with us in the library? Rion is probably going to tutor 3rd years or something, and I'm working with Chie.

"You want to work with me, too?" Souji thought this was a very good idea indeed. He'd see no problem with working with girls, especially Yukiko.

He remembered that Yosuke asking earlier about working with Yukiko.

"You want me to tutor you too, Yosuke?" Yukiko asked. She had really opened to everyone recently

"You mean private lessons?" Yosuke said.

Yukiko promptly slapped him and recoiled quickly.

"Ow… All I asked for was if you will help me study," Yosuke said. He had a hand mark on his right cheek.

She had a guilty look as she said, "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that we have had some nasty guests at the inn recently."

"So, you will help me?" Yosuke said, rubbing his cheek.

"Nah, I'll have Rion help you," Yukiko answered.

"Thanks for asking me if I'd do it first Yukiko, but whatever," Rion said, gathering his books looking slightly offended. "Rion looks like he doesn't give a damn about the test," Souji thought to himself.

At this point, he snapped back to the present.

"So, will you work with us, Souji?" Yukiko asked.

"She wants me to help?" Souji thought with interest, "Alright, I'll study with you two."

"Awesome!" Chie said, "Maybe I'll do well this exam."

Yukiko and Souji looked at her nervously. I think they knew how it would turn out for Chie. The three ended up working in the library for a few hours going over history, math, science, and English problems. They spent most of their time helping Chie, but it was good review, Souji decided after all.

"Thanks, Souji!" Chie said, as she walked out of the school.

"Thanks for helping me out," Yukiko said as she left.

"It didn't help me much, but at least I got to hang out with two girls for a few hours," Souji thought.

He went home and ate dinner with Nanako. They were watching the news. There was a report about a robbery who stole something with construction equipment. Shortly after the report, Nanako got a call from Dojima after dinner. She picked up the phone

"Okay…"

"Okay…"

"I understand," she said as she handed the phone to Souji.

"I have to work," Dojima told Souji, "I really didn't have a choice."

"I feel bad for Nanako," Souji replied.

"Me too," Dojima replied, "Can you take care of her for me?"

"I'll try," Souji said.

"Thanks…," Dojima said as he hung up.

Nanako told Souji, "Dad has to go work. He won't be home."

She looked quite sad. Souji felt bad, "Not even Nanako deserves that," he thought.  
He comforted Nanako briefly. He really did try, but Nanako really felt bad. Souji finished his night off by eating some dry pickles, which made him puke.

Next morning, in which he greeted Nanako who was watching TV. They suddenly heard a doorbell ring. It was Chie at the door… "What is she doing here?" Souji wondered.

"Cool, you're home!" Chie exclaimed.

"Hi… Chie. How do you know where I live?" Souji asked. "That's kind of creepy," Souji thought, "Maybe she's the kidnapper."

"Never mind that. If you're free today, do you want to go somewhere? Yukiko and Rion are coming too," Chie said. She turned her attention to Nanako, "Hey, Nanako-chan, you want to come?"

"I can come?" she asked nervously.

"Of course you can…," Chie replied.

"You are allowed, you know," Souji said. Maybe this would cheer Nanako up a little.

They all ended up at Junes, which excited Nanako to no end. Besides, they needed to find a place to meet Yosuke. He was still working apparently.

"I love Junes!" Nanako said, when Chie asked Yosuke why she was brought here.

"That's great," Yosuke said.

"We were going to go and have boxed lunches," Nanako said with a little pout.

"I can cook pretty well," Chie said, "But I guess you're the cook, Big bro."

"I doubt it," Yosuke said.

"Me too," Yukiko replied.

Yosuke unfortunately brought up her mother, in which Nanako said she wasn't here anymore. It made everyone quite uncomfortable, even Rion, who had lost of his own parents. Souji didn't know that fact about Rion.

"But now I have Big bro!" Nanako said cheerfully speaking about Souji. It made Souji happy to hear Nanako saying that about him.

"Man, she's stronger than all of us," Chie said as Nanako and Yosuke went to get some soda. Yosuke had to recover from the bruising Chie gave him.

Rion replied, "It takes a lot of guts to take it in stride. Not many people would be able to deal with that."

Nanako enjoyed the trip and Souji promised her to take her there again. It ended up that again would be the next day. Souji went with her, Kou, Daisuke, and Yosuke to Junes. They hung out at the Electronics Department and talked about little sisters and ugliness. They also talked about magic.

The next couple days went by pretty quickly. He talked to his uncle because he was bored, and he thought he was treating his daughter badly.

Saturday, he answered some stupid science question that Hosoi gave him. It was annoying and a waste of time to answer the questions a simpleton could answer. He knew he had an exam he could study for, but instead he decided to hang out with Chie and train instead. He got kicked in the nads again. It was getting to be a painful tradition. At least he had fun afterwards laughing at her pointing out she had a grasshopper on her back. She had told Nanako that she had a fear of bugs, so he was going to take advantage of that.

Souji talked to Dojima again and went to bed. Studying for exams was pointless in Souji's eyes. Besides, if he wanted to get smarter, he could always eat ramen.

Finally, the day of reckoning was upon him. It was the day of exams, and Souji had not studied. Chie came up to him the day of the exams would start. She asked him as they walked down the floodplains, "Hey! Did you study?"

"Of course not, except for the day I was with you and Yukiko of course," Souji answered. That was a fun day.

"Then how will you be ready for this? I studied almost every day, and I don't feel ready at all," Chie asked.

"I think I'll do alright. I ate my ramen," Souji said confidently.

"You ate ramen? How will that help?" Yukiko asked. She had met them at the gates.

"Just trust me…," Souji said, "Ramen is the food of the gods."

They walked into the school and started to take the exams. The four days of exams were a bore beyond belief. Most were questions that were drilled in his head. He didn't have to study for them because he remembered being specifically called out for them, or having to answer them for Chie or Yosuke. The final day, he felt confident about most of his answers, but Souji wasn't sure about a few of them. Souji was glad just to have his exam done.

After the days of testing, Yosuke came up to Souji's desk. Yukiko and Chie were going over the exam. Why they were going over it after it was finished, Souji wasn't sure, but he guessed it was for next year. The dreaded entrance exams…

"It's finally over!" Yosuke said.

"You're telling me," Souji said. He could put his arms up and scream in glee if Chie and Yukiko weren't reviewing. He'd rather not disturb them.

Rion seemed sleepy as he answered, "I was bored. I slept through half of my exam."

"He slept through most of the exam?" Souji thought, "I wonder if he even paid attention."

"What a load off… I bet every student besides Rion feels this way after exams are over," Yosuke said, "Do you know what I mean?"

"Quiet down, Yosuke!" Chie yelled at Yosuke. She turned back to Yukiko's desk. "So, what did you write down for number seven? The one about the meaning of "that" referred to in that sentence," she asked Yukiko. She didn't seem very confident.

Yukiko answered, "I put her sorrowful expression."

"Shit, I got it wrong. I put "The rice cakes go on the top of the table," Chie answered.

"Rice cakes? Wait, is that what the story was about?" Yukiko looked confused at Chie's answer.

"I don't think so. I think Yukiko got it right," Rion said, "I put the same thing on my test."

"Were you awake at the time?" Souji asked.

"I was, in fact," Rion responded.

"Alright, I'm giving up on composition. I'm putting it all on geography," Chie said.  
She looked at Rion, "What did you put for the tallest mountain in the solar system?"

"Olympus Mons, in Mars," he replied.

Chie looked despondent, "Seriously! I chose the wrong one."

"That's what I put," Souji said.

"Oh, I put that one too," Yukiko said in agreement.

"All of you? Then it's probably the right answer," Yosuke looked at all of them, "I just can't wait for our grades to be posted where everyone can see them." It was obvious he was being sarcastic. Souji wasn't sure if he wanted them posted up there either. He didn't want to look bad in front of others. For some reason, he didn't want to look bad in front of Yukiko. "I really should stop thinking this way," Souji thought to himself.

A student was being nosy and said, "Did you hear? A TV station is filming in town."

The student he was talking to said, "It's probably just more stuff about the murders."  
"No, it's not that. It's about that highway nearby. They are going to be covering the biker gangs out there. A friend of mine goes to the biker gang meetings out there."

"What are you doing with a guy who's in a biker gang? Well, what do you think about tomorrow's blind date? We were going to meet outside… It is going to rain tomorrow, so we should play it safe," the first boy asked and responded.

"Biker gang?" Yukiko asked from her desk.

"Yeah, they raise a ruckus from time to time. You must live too far away to hear them," Chie said.

"They are quite the annoyance," Rion said.

"So, to annoy Rion, I should join a biker gang," Souji thought. He chuckled on the inside.

Yosuke put his two cents in, "We live right by the road. It drives you insane."

"I hear there was a student in the school in a gang," Chie said.

"Why would they do that? It seems like they would just ruin their lives," Souji said.

"Yeah, I heard there is a first-year who's a real hell-raiser. One of the guys at Junes said that he's been famous since high school," Yosuke said.

"That's interesting. So he's been a jackass for that long?" Souji said.

"Pretty much," Rion said.

"Though, was he in a biker gang?" Yosuke said.

Yukiko asked, while looking at Yosuke in awe, "Did you say he was a legend?"

"It's not what you think, Yukiko," Chie said while everyone looked nervous.

He decided to skip his afternoon classes to hang out with the sports club manager. It was fun to ditch classes after taking tests. Rion didn't look happy at him ditching class, but it was exciting regardless. Then again, they went shopping, and he watched her beat off boys with a broomstick.

At night, the TV crew had their report on the biker gangs, which he watched with Nanako and Dojima. Dojima was currently reading his newspaper on the couch.

The reporter rambled on, "Young men, recklessly riding their motorcycles, disturbing the peace of a quiet rural town. Our special report took a turn for the worse when one of the apparent leaders attacked the camera crew!"

The kid yelled, "The hell are you doing here?"

Dojima dropped his newspaper and put it on his lap. "That voice," he said.

Souji guessed his uncle recognized the person on the show. "Must be someone he's dealt with before," he thought.

"This ain't a show! Get bent!" the kid yelled again.

"Still up to the same old tricks?" Dojima said.

"Do you know him, Dad?" Nanako asked.

Dojima sighed, "Well, I know him through work. His name is Kanji Tatsumi. He's been crushing biker gangs in the area since middle school. He is quite the handful. Though I thought he got into a high school and started attending class."

"Huh," Nanako said.

"Man, that blur sure is pointless. You can tell who it is pretty easily. The guy's family runs a textile shop. I think what happened is he crushed the local biker gangs because the noise kept his mother up at night," Dojima told them.

"That's pretty ridiculous," Souji said.

"It's a nice gesture, but its way too violent. At this rate, his mother is going to have to

apologize again," Dojima said.

Nanako told them, "Oh, the weather report is showing on the bottom. It's going to rain tomorrow. I'll make sure to hang the laundry inside the house."

Souji got some sleep, after folding envelopes. Souji needed some fast yen because Souji needed a new golf club to beat people with.

It did end up raining the next day, and when they got to school Chie was a bit shocked that it did.

"Hey, it is raining today. The weather report was right…," Chie said.

It was after school, and they were all gathered around their desks, except Chie was standing. She was staring mindlessly at the rain, intoxicated by its pitter and its patter.

"I guess the Midnight Channel will be on tonight," Souji said.

"That's what I was going to say!" Yosuke said.

"I'd rather we don't see anyone," Yukiko said looking down.

"That would be reassuring," Rion said.

"That would be the best thing, but if we do, maybe it will be a clue that will lead us to the killer," Yosuke said.

"Just don't forget to check your TV tonight," Chie reminded them.

Souji went to Aiya's after their umm… conversation. Was it worthwhile? He didn't think so. After eating his ramen and gaining his knowledge and diligence among other things, he still knew he couldn't eat worth anything.

Souji was waiting for midnight to come. When it did, the yellow fuzz appeared! Amazing, it did! Souji rolled his eyes. A high schooler appeared, or at least he looked like one. He was male, and looked angry. He was swinging at random things. He decided to call Yosuke.

"Oh, it's you! I was just about to call you. What do you think? It was a guy, wasn't it? I wish I could tell you what he looked like," Yosuke said.

"Just some high schooler," Souji answered.

"Let's talk about it tomorrow," Yosuke said.

The next day they met up at Junes at their typical and usual table. "Pointless shit," Souji thought, "It's not like we'll figure anything out."

"We will now hold a meeting on the investigation of the serial-kidnapping murder case in Inaba," Yosuke told everyone.

"Take a breath," Chie said.

"You are going asphyxiate," Rion said.

"Does this make it our special headquarters?" Yukiko inquired.

"I guess," Souji said.

"Exactly!" Yosuke said, "Nicely put, Yukiko." Yosuke said.

"Special headquarters… It does have a nice ring to it," Chie said.

"For what was on last night…," Yosuke said.

"Who was that?" Souji asked.

"Hmm… I don't know exactly," Rion said, "I have an idea, but I might as well wait until we are 100% positive on the identification before making an assumption."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Souji thought.

"It was a guy, wasn't it," Chie said.

"I believe it was," Rion said.

"So that's how I looked on TV," Yukiko said, "Wait a moment. Weren't all the victims female and have ties to the first victim?" She looked confused.

"That is what we thought," Souji said.

"But who did we see?" Yosuke said.

"The image changed after I was kidnapped, right?" Yukiko asked.

Souji looked at Yukiko, "It got clear, and it looked like a B-movie or a low-budget TV show."

"Maybe Teddie was right… We were seeing the other Yukiko on the TV show," Yosuke said.

Yukiko added, "Last night, we couldn't see clearly who it was. So, that means, he isn't inside the TV yet? If so… then"

"He is safe for now," Souji said, "Supposedly."

"That's safe to assume. If was can figure out who he is, maybe we can prevent him from

being kidnapped," Yosuke said.

"If it goes well, maybe we can catch the killer too," Yosuke replied.

"Prevention, maybe… Catching the killer, not as likely," Rion said.

"Though, we need to know who the person on the Midnight Channel is," Souji said, "If we don't know, we can not move forward."

"We are just going to have to wait another night to see who it is," Yosuke said with regret.

"If I'm right, though the image was hard to make out, it was a young male. If so, it goes against our prior assumptions. Since we can't identify the person, we have to wait and see what happens," Chie said. Souji was smirking. She was saying the same things everyone else was saying.

"You do know that's exactly what we've been saying," Yosuke said.

"A carbon copy," Rion remarked.

"Was she even listening?" Souji thought.

"Shut up!" Chie said.

Yukiko started laughing as Yosuke and Chie started fighting again. At least no one was bruised or beaten this time as Yukiko's laughter broke up the fight.

They looked at her as she was breaking out in laughing, "You're so funny, Chie," as she was slapping her knees, "Ahaha, no, my funny bone!"

While Yukiko was laughing, Chie stopped fighting with Yosuke long enough to say,

"Not again…," Souji muttered, "At this rate…"

"Sorry… Ahahaha," Yukiko was laughing.

"So, this is Yukiko, huh," Yosuke said.

"Well, it's better than an uptight one," Rion said.

"I wish some others wouldn't be so uptight," Souji thought to himself. "At least she's cheerful," Souji said.

"By the way, about that guy we saw? I thought I've seen him before," Chie asked, "Pretty recently, too."

"I've been thinking the same thing," Yosuke replied.

Souji finalized their plans, "Let's check the TV tonight, and come together tomorrow to talk about it."

Unfortunately, Yukiko couldn't stop laughing, and Chie's comments didn't help. Souji, Rion, and Yosuke had to leave on their own and leave the pair behind.

Souji went home and went back upstairs waiting for the Midnight Channel to come on. Souji didn't even bother with dinner. The image appeared on the TV. It wasn't exactly focused, but the boy was punching around like he was trying to beat up a bunch of invisible gangsters. It seemed maybe like the boy you saw on the TV a couple days ago. Souji picked up his phone and called Yosuke.

"Did you see that?" Yosuke said.

"It's probably Kanji Tatsumi," Souji said.

"Yeah, I thought so too. I knew I saw him somewhere before. It was on that special report that the TV was showing. He's one scary dude. He frightened off the whole camera crew," Yosuke said, "Well, we have a lead, so let's meet up tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow," Souji said.

"Oh, I forgot something. By the way, it doesn't really matter, but I have a question I want to ask you just for the heck of it," Yosuke said.

"Alright," Souji said, "What is this about?"

"It's something I've been meaning to ask you about… So what do you think about Yukiko and Chie? I mean, which one is your type?" Yosuke asked. Yosuke had been wondering for a while if he should ask this. And now that he had decided, he'd been waiting for the opportune moment, and this looked like as a good as time as any.

Souji shook his head. "Should I really tell Yosuke?" He thought, "He's more likely to tell someone. But, I don't think it matters." "I guess that it would be Yukiko," Souji said.

"Ahh… I didn't know you'd be up for the Amagi Challenge," Yosuke said, "Well… Good luck!"

"Why did you ask, by the way?" Souji asked.

"Well… to tell you the truth, I kind of like Chie. I asked Rion and he doesn't care either which way. So I thought I'd ask your opinion," Yosuke responded, "I mean… I'm not ready for a girlfriend right now, not while we're dealing with this, but yeah."

"I should go for Chie to burst his bubble, but I'm not that mean," Souji thought, "Yosuke isn't a bad person. I wonder if Rion likes someone. Now if he did… Nah, I wouldn't do that." He picked up the phone again and said, "Alright, we'll meet up tomorrow."

"Right, but don't worry, this is just between the guys," Yosuke told him.

After the end of school the next day the group of five met up around their desks. Souji was in the center of the group, but the center of attention belonged to someone else as usual. He never was the center of attention.

"The one who was on last night, it was that guy, right?" Chie said.

"You mean Kanji, right?" Rion said. He adjusted his glasses like he so normally did.

"Kanji Tatsumi, huh? He definitely didn't seem like a social person," Yosuke said.

Rion shook his head, "Definitely not a socialite."

"There's an understatement. Didn't he look really scary on that news report?" Chie asked.

"Yeah, it was pretty bad," Souji said.

"I saw it," Yosuke said, "How he was cussing out the camera guys, and all."

"The special on biker gangs? I watched it too," Yukiko added, "He wasn't like that when he was younger though."

The four looked at Yukiko in surprise at thought that Yukiko might have known Kanji, even if it was in her past.

"You know him, Yukiko?" Chie said.

"Yes, but we haven't talked to each other for a long time," Yukiko said, "His family runs a textile shop, and we've been a customer of theirs for many years. So I speak with Kanji-kun's mother from time to time. Oh, why don't we go there now? We might be able to talk to him in person."

"It does sound like a good plan," Rion said.

"We can ask him if anything strange has come up lately," Chie said.

"I wouldn't want to run into him in a dark alley though," Souji said, "I don't think he'll blow up in front of his own store though. I don't think he'd kill any of us in his own store either." Souji wondered if he should go back and grab a shovel to dig a grave.

"Well, let's get going," Yosuke said.

"If things get rough, we're counting on you guys," Chie said.

Souji and Yosuke looked at each other. "Great…," was the thought shared between them. Yosuke looked at Rion, "Can we count on you?"

"I guess…," Rion replied. He just adjusted his glasses again. Souji wondered if he should take his chances with Kanji instead. No, he was in safe hands with Rion.

They headed to Shopping District North and towards Kanji Tatsumi's textile store. When they arrived at the store, a short young man with a blue shirt and pants was talking to Kanji's mother. What exactly they were talking about, Souji didn't know. Souji wasn't sure, but it sure looked suspicious.

"Hello," Yukiko said as she walked in.

The shop-owner said, Ahh… Yuki-chan, how nice to see you again."

"Well then, if you will excuse me, Ma'am," the young man said as he walked out. He was talking to Kanji's mother before Yukiko and the others had arrived.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help more," the shop-owner said.

"It's all right; you have given me plenty to think about. Thank you," The young man nodded at the group and left. Unfortunately, one person didn't accept the nod.

Rion noticed something odd…, "What the hell!?" he thought. The boy and Rion shared a look. Souji looked at the pair; Rion's face was a mixture of confusion and almost... was it anger? The boy's face seemed calm and collected. He seemed completely indifferent at Rion's reaction.

"What's up with him?" Yosuke said.

"Something about that person pisses me off," Rion muttered.

"Never seen him before," Chie said.

The shop-owner brought them out of their thoughts, "Yuki-chan, you're looking as lovely as always. Your features are starting to remind me of your mother when she was young. How can I help you today? Are you shopping with your friends?"

"Well… Actually," Yukiko said.

They started talking to Kanji's mom, while Yosuke looked around.

"Have you noticed anything strange…," Yukiko was talking to Kanji mother.

Chie looked away and noticed something on the counter. It was a magenta scarf.

"Hey, this scarf, I've seen it somewhere else before," Chie said.

"You're right, so have I, but where?" Souji said.

"Where was it?" Yosuke said.

Chie had a revelation, "It was that place in the TV."

"The place with the faceless posters," Rion said.

"It's that announcer's…," Yosuke was trailing off.

Kanji's mom asked, "Are you acquaintances with Ms. Yamano?"

"Uh, well, kind of," Yosuke lied, "Did Ms. Yamano happen to have a scarf like this?"

'Yes, it was a special order that she placed. She actually ordered a pair, but in the end, she said she only wanted the women's scarf. It left us with no choice but to sell the other separately," Mrs. Tatsumi replied.

"There is a connection to the first case, then. What are we going to do?" Chie asked. She was obviously worried.

Souji shrugged. It wasn't like he could make things go away. "I don't know," Souji responded.

"How should I know?" Yosuke said. He was worried and unsure as well.

A doorbell rang and the delivery man announced that a delivery was coming. "Hello! Delivery here for the Tatsumis!"

"Oh, I'll be right there. I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me," Kanji's mom said.

"Oh, it's okay. We need to be going anyways," Chie said.

"I'll come again Ma'am," Yukiko said.

"Is that so? Well, say hello to your mother please," Kanji's mother said. She bid them good day.

"It really is connected to the first case," Yosuke said.

"There seems to be something related to it at least," Rion said, "But nothing substantial."

"It is just a scarf though. Would the killer target someone just because of that? What's going on? C'mon, let's talk outside," Yosuke asked.

They walked outside, only about 50 to 100 feet outside the textile store when Yukiko noticed someone outside. It was a person talking to someone.

"Hmm… It's Kanji-kun," Yukiko said.

"Quick, hide," Yosuke said.

"Hide? Why?" Rion asked.

"You're not fooling anyone, you know?" Chie said to Yosuke, as they hid by the mailbox. They had run over to the red mailbox as fast as they could. But, their hiding position did not give much cover from Kanji's sight.

Kanji was talking to the slender young man that was talking to his mother earlier. It was a very suspicious sight to Souji's eyes.

"I can't hear what they're saying with you talking this loud, Chie," Souji said.

"Yeah, shut up!" Yosuke muttered.

"Sorry…," Chie muttered.

"Tomorrow's fine with me," Kanji said. He seemed nervous, "Huh, school? Of course I'm going to school."

"Then I'll meet you at the gates after school tomorrow," the man said.

"Again, what's with this person…," Rion thought, "Driving me insane…?"

Kanji looked puzzled, "Did he say he was interested? He's a guy, and I'm a guy… But, he's interested in me."

He suddenly turned away from his puzzlement and saw the others in their "hiding spot". His look turned to rage when he saw them looking at him.

"Huh, what the hell are you pricks looking at?" Kanji yelled at them.

Souji, Chie, Yukiko, and Yosuke ran away. Rion stared back at him before running after them. When they stopped running, they were out of breath, well most of them.

"That scared the shit out of me. He's even worse in person that he is on TV," Chie said.

"The one on TV last night was definitely Kanji-kun," Yukiko said.

Yosuke looked at them, "I just realized something. The common points… Kanji's mom fits the pattern. Though she has the connections, her son appeared on the TV."

"Well, so what does that mean?" Souji inquired.

"Then why does his mother fit the case better than Kanji?" Yosuke asked.

"Well maybe it's like my case, then." Yukiko said, "My mother fit the case better than mine. She was the one who dealt with Ms. Yamano directly, but I was the one targeted."

"Does that mean it'll be the kid again, instead of the mother?" Chie asked, "If it's true then… Then the killer's motives don't make sense. It'd have nothing to do with silencing witnesses or revenge."

"We would be on the wrong track completely then," Souji said.

"Maybe there is something within the textile shop," Yosuke said.

Rion looked at the confused group, "It's going to take more time to figure out." He thought to himself, "We're going at this the wrong way…"

"Yet, we can't ignore this," Yukiko said.

"Why don't we just go ahead and ask Kanji himself? We could at least see in anything weird has happened lately. He scares the wits out of me, but…," Chie said. "How are we going to do this?" Chie wondered.

"Hey, wasn't Kanji making plans with that weird kid a moment ago?" Yosuke asked, "Something about meeting up at school. I heard he's been skipping school ever since the New Year started. Doesn't that seem suspicious to you?"

"It looked like he was," Rion said about Kanji. "That person is bugging the hell out of me," he was thinking about the slim person that was talking to Kanji.

"It did seem weird," Chie said, "Something funny is going on here. I sense something is going to happen."

"Now you sound like Teddie," Souji said.

"You "sense" things now? At least we'll find clues," Yosuke said, "Let's stake out both the store and Kanji himself."

"We wouldn't want the killer to get ahead of us," Souji said.

"Oh, that being said, Yukiko can I have your cell number?" Yosuke asked.

Chie stared at him, "Was this your plan all along?"

"I have everyone else's but hers. The Y section does need filling out."

"Idiot," Rion muttered.

Chie stared at him again, "While we're on the subject, can you stop calling me late at night to tell me dirty jokes? You really sound like a pervert."

"Hey… I'm trying to have a conversation with Yukiko here," Yosuke argued.

Yukiko looked at her feet, "Oh that reminds me, I need to buy some tofu on my way home."

"She didn't hear a word I said," Yosuke looked forlorn.

"What'd you expect, Yosuke?" Souji said. He thought, "I'd want Yukiko's number, not you."

"The stakeout is set for tomorrow then, "Chie said, "Stakeouts… Tailing people… Whoo, I'm getting goosebumps."

They headed their separate ways, left the Shopping District, and waited for the next day to try and talk to Kanji.

Sleep came quickly for Souji as the next day came and school went by. They watched the different people leaving the school as Souji, Chie, Yukiko, Yosuke, and Rion were standing by the gates.

"Has the target arrived at school?" Chie asked.

"Yes, Ma'am, Visual ID confirmed, "Yosuke said, "Target arrived in-zone near the end of mess break with mother-issued rations in hand. His current status: In the bathroom, fixing his hair. The target was acting nervous, so I left before he had a chance to pick on me."

"I wonder what kind of plans they made… It didn't seem like he knew that boy very well," Yukiko said.

"Yeah, I think there is something more subtle," Chie was saying, "Oh he's here!" She exclaimed, looking towards the school.

"We should move soon," Souji said, "Kanji will see us if we're not careful."

When Kanji walked up past the front gates, he was confronted by the slim young man who had just walked up to Kanji. "I didn't keep you waiting, I hope?" He asked.

"This is bugging the hell out of me," Rion muttered to himself, "There is something very wrong with this."

Kanji was nervous, "No, I just got here myself too."

The both of them walked away from the school. Kanji was following the man in blue. They were headed towards the floodplains it seemed.

"What in the world was that?" Yosuke asked. He obviously was bewildered and confused by the actions that took place.

"I can't really say, but it's pretty complex," Rion said, "Kanji is acting rather strangely."

"We do need to hurry after them!" Souji rushed them.

"Right! We'll lose them, if we don't go after them," Chie said.

"Okay, let's split into two groups," Yosuke said, "That okay with you?" looking at Souji.

He nodded in agreement, "One can watch the store, the other group can tail Kanji himself."

"So, how should the teams be arranged?" Chie asked.

"I'll go with Yukiko, Rion can go with Chie and Yosuke to make sure you two you don't kill each other," Souji said. Souji with Yukiko would definitely be a win in Souji's book.

"Fine, fine," Chie said, "Let's hurry! They're almost out of sight!"

"So, I'm pairing up with Chie, and Rion. Okay…," Yosuke admitted, "We need to act like we're on a date to make it look natural. You don't mind if you stand on the side and hide, Rion?"

Rion's look said he didn't care either way.

Chie's look said otherwise, "Not in a million years! There will be no need for that if we stay out of sight. Let's just hurry up and go."

The three of them ran off to chase up to Kanji and the other boy. Yukiko and Souji stared at them as they left.

"I wonder if they'll be alright," Yukiko said softly.

"They do have Rion with them. They can't really get in trouble," Souji said. Souji did wonder for their sanity, Rion's sanity really. How he broke up all those fights, he couldn't figure that out.

"Oh… That leaves us in charge in watching the textile shop," Yukiko came to a sudden realization, "So, shall we?"

"Alright," Souji said. "Not too bad, hanging out with Yukiko," Souji thought. Souji smiled.

They went to the Shopping District North and ended up by the Tatsumi Shrine near the textile store. While they were waiting Yukiko brought both of them some soda she got from the machines near the liquor store.

"Sorry about the wait… This one is for you," Yukiko said.

"Thanks…," Souji responded.

"Everything seems fine at the shop. I hope stays that way," Yukiko told Souji

"That's refreshing to know," Souji said.

"Do you think the culprit will come?" Yukiko asked.

"If he does, I'll protect you," Souji assured her.

She blushed, "Thanks."

"No worries," Souji said. "This is nice…," Souji thought, "I'm glad I'm partnered up with her."

"If he doesn't, our efforts might be fruitless, but maybe it's for the best," Yukiko shrugged.

"I'd rather he didn't," Souji said.

"It would be scary if he did show up," Yukiko added.

"I agree," Souji concurred

"If they do, I'll do what I can to help you catch them," Yukiko said

"Thanks," Souji said.

"Remember, you all saved my life, I don't want to be the only one doing nothing."

"It's not like you are not doing anything for us."

She blushed again. Souji thought it was cute when she blushed.

"I'm mean, I'm sure there is something I can do," Yukiko said, "Oh, sorry. I'm guess I'm a little nervous."

"That's not a problem," Souji said, "Everyone gets a little nervous."

"I have never chatted with a boy my age like this before. Even with Rion it's only been about school and studying."

"I understand," Souji said. "Was she really that focused that back then?" Souji thought.

"Chie, of course, has no problem getting along with guys her age because of her personality. I do think she's having more fun hanging out with you three lately. The same is true for me," Yukiko explained. Yukiko seemed to be blushing again.

"Really?" Souji asked. Souji smiled. This really was a good idea.

He decided to ask Yukiko for her cell phone and other contact information. He was pretty confident he could get it. Besides, for some reason, eating that ramen and eating nasty stuff in the fridge made him more confident.

Yukiko was blushing again, "Oh, okay, if you want. I can't always answer since I'm working at the inn a lot. But feel free to call anytime."

"That does sound a little wrong…," Souji thought, "Anytime…"

Since there was no action around the store, they just talked about whatever was going on recently.  
---

Meanwhile, with the other three group members at the flood plain. Beforehand,  
Chie was telling Rion.

"You have binoculars, why don't you go on the top of that park… bench… top… thingy…," Chie told Rion.

"Yeah, go up there," Yosuke said.

"You're just trying to get rid of me," Rion said, "Fine, but you owe me,"

"Why would we want to get rid of you?" Chie asked.

"For your alone time," Rion said.

Chie blushed then yelled, "Shut up!"

"Alright alright, I'll go…," Rion muttered.

Yosuke wasn't complaining about Rion's comments.

He climbed up one of the spokes, all but flipped himself up there, and positioned himself with his binoculars watching the two of them walking across the floodplains. He then motioned to Chie and Yosuke, "Hurry up. They'll get away."

Kanji and the young man were walking down the floodplain and Chie and Yosuke were following them, yet hiding behind the trees.

"Man, this is weird," Chie said, hiding behind a tree.

Yosuke looked at her, "Yeah, we definitely stand out."

"No, I mean them. I get a weird feeling from them. Rion said he gets a weird feeling from the young man. I almost feel it from both of them," Chie asked.

"Weird, what about them is weird?" Yosuke asked.

"I don't know how to put it. Maybe it's just my imagination. Hey, how do you think the others are doing?" Chie asked.

"I don't know. He's probably hitting on Yukiko as we speak," Yosuke answered. He knew that answer already.

"Well, no. He's not like you. Yukiko doesn't seem to be interested in stuff like that anyways. Wait, are you saying he's interested in her?" Chie asked.

He was taken aback at her response, "Huh, I don't know. We don't really talk about that kind of stuff anyway." Yosuke knew he should have kept his mouth shut.

"Now I'm even more suspicious. You know something, don't you?" Chie looked inquisitively at him.

"I seriously don't know. It's not like we've been hanging out that long," Yosuke defended himself. Yosuke shook his head. "Souji is going to kill me," he thought.

At that point, they just noticed that Kanji had walked up to the pair. Appropriately, the two of them somewhat freaked, and Rion almost dropped his binoculars at their confrontation.

"The hell are you two doing?" Kanji asked.

"Oh, you see… We are just two crazy lovebirds," Yosuke said nervously.

"What do you mean, bird?" Chie said.

"Play along, birdbrain!" as Yosuke stepped on her foot.

"Didn't I see you guys yesterday?" Kanji questioned them.

"It just happened that we were walking behind you. It was only pure coincidence," Yosuke lied through his teeth, "It happens our houses are that way, we'll be going now."

Chie looked at them, "Look, we weren't planning on getting in your guys' way, and there is nothing strange about it, either."

"Strange?" Kanji looked shocked.

Yosuke yelled at Chie, "Why can't you keep your big mouth shut?"

Rion kept looking on, "What the hell is going there?" he muttered, "They should either be best buds or dead. Something fishy is going on." He refocused his binoculars, "I should head down there before those two die," he muttered.

Kanji suddenly started chasing them again, "Wait, Dammit"

He was chasing them around the area Rion was perched; "This ain't what you think. You got it all wrong." It didn't help at that time Rion decided to jump down. "What the hell is this? Who are you!?" Kanji yelled at Rion.

"Hey! Are you guys listening!?" As he chased all three of them around the floodplains, Rion was chuckling, chuckling of all things. "This guy is so confused," Rion thought.

"It seriously ain't like that!" Kanji yelled

After that, they returned empty handed to Yukiko and Souji with no information.

"We regret to inform you, that our mission failed," Chie said.

"There was nowhere to hide," Yosuke said.

"It was amusing to watch though," Rion said. He was still chuckling, which made Souji think that hell had frozen over.

Yukiko motioned, "Well, let's wait here a little longer. Maybe Kanji-kun will come home."

"Yeah…," Yosuke said.

"I wonder if it's a good idea depending on what happened with them," Souji said.

Kanji was walking up to them as Souji finished his sentence. He noticed them, and was obviously fuming at seeing them.

"What are you guys doing here?" Kanji asked at seeing Yosuke and Chie, "You are those stupid lovebirds I just saw."

"We are NOT a couple!" Chie exclaimed with emphasis.

"Ouch…," Souji thought, "There goes Yosuke's chances down the tube."

Kanji made a motion, "Why are you assholes following me around? Damn it, what the hell is going on? I ain't saying this is your guys' fault. But damnit." He sighed. Kanji looked worn out.

Yosuke asked Kanji, "Hey, mind if we ask you something? Has anything strange happened to you lately?"

Kanji looked first confused, "Huh, strange?" He then started to get mad again, "What's this "strange" stuff, huh? Are you saying I'm strange?"

Yosuke was flustered. He wasn't sure what to say, but knew he was in hot water again as he said, "Huh, no… I didn't mean…"

"You shitheads better get the hell out of my face, or I'm taking you down!" Kanji yelled

"Wait… Why?" Yosuke asked.

"I look like I'm joking!?" Kanji yelled again.

Kanji started to chase them, and they all ran as fast as they could except for Rion. Rion seemed unfazed by the yelling and the threats.

"Are you going to take me down?" Rion asked calmly.

"If you don't run… I'm going to take your ass down!" Kanji yelled at him.

A fist flew from Kanji's right hand and Rion caught it in mid-stride.

"I would entertain you, but I better catch up with the rest of them," Rion smirked, "They're expecting me."

"Wait, you asshole!" Kanji yelled as Rion released his hand and jogged off lazily.

Souji had ran away from Kanji, and everyone followed him. Souji was out of breath, and even Rion caught up to eventually, though he was smirking when he had returned.

"Urgh… Too much running," Chie said. She was sucking in air by the mouthful.

Yosuke looked at them as he took a deep breath and said, "Well, nothing happened today, so I guess everything is okay."

"Wait, it has been a few days since he has appeared on the Midnight Channel though," Yukiko said.

Souji said, "So, if something is going to happen, it will be soon."

"Then we can't let our guard down. We'll have to check up on him tomorrow," Yukiko said.

"Looks like we've got no choice. Let's go home, I'm wiped...," Chie said.

Souji got home and looked in the fridge. He drank all of the milk in the fridge. He needed it after being chased by a gang killer. Souji was waiting in his room for the Midnight Channel when he got a call from Yukiko…

Normally, Souji would be overjoyed by getting a call from her. This seemed like a serious call, however.

"Oh, hello? This is Yukiko. I'm sorry to call so late," Yukiko said

"It's alright," Souji answered.

"Kanji-kun seems to be missing!" Yukiko exclaimed.

"You're kidding?" Souji asked. He did half-expect this though. Souji shook his head.

"I had some calls to make for the inn, so I made a call to the textile shop as well. When I talked to Kanji-kun's mother, she said that he left the house and hasn't returned since. She did say that happens all the time, but what do you think?" Yukiko explained, and then asked Souji.

"It sounds like he's gone," Souji answered.

"That's what I think, too," Yukiko agreed.

"It's going to rain again tonight; maybe the Midnight Channel will come on," Souji suggested.

"I plan on watching it," Yukiko said.

"Then we'll know for sure if something happened to Kanji-kun or not. I'll be sure to check it out at midnight. I'll talk to you later," Souji said.

"Goodbye," Yukiko said as she hung up.

It was raining at midnight. At that exact hour, the Channel came on, but the picture was clear for once. The picture showed a brown and steamy background and then Kanji appeared. He was wearing nothing but a small towel around his lower area.

"Hel-Lo, dear viewers… It is time for "Bad, Bad Bathhouse"! Tonight I'll introduce a superb site for those searching for sublime love that surpasses the separations of the sexes! I'm your host, Kanji Tatsumi, serving you this scandalously special sneak-in report! Goodness gracious! Just imagine the things that could happen to me in there. Well then, let's get this show on the road,"

Kanji proceeded to run off into the whatever it was. Souji was scared for the first time in his life. He wasn't scared the first time he saw the vivid imagery, well it was Yukiko, but not this time.

Rion and Yosuke set up a conference call somehow. Rion must have figured out how, Souji guessed.

"Hey, I mean what-the…," Yosuke said.

"I believe that this is a reflection of Kanji's confusion," Rion said.

"You need to calm down Yosuke," Souji said.

"You're right, that's what Rion has been saying. That was completely over the top though. It was Kanji though. We guessed right, but he still slipped through our fingers," Yosuke said.

"There's nothing we can do now, but go forward," Souji said.

"If only we held our ground and stayed there a little longer," Yosuke said, "In any case, the place that was behind him… What do you think it was?"

"A bathhouse?" Rion said.

"Anyways, we better get together tomorrow, and figure out a plan on what to do," Yosuke said.

"There is nothing better to do," Souji said.

"I'm with you two," Rion said.

They all hung up and went to bed, trying to keep the disgusting thoughts out of their heads. Souji tried his hardest and ended up in a nightmare where he and Yosuke were fighting off men attacking him in those little towels.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I am butchering dialogue, battles, and s-links to get the novel version respectable. I can make characters more cynical, mean, out of character, and amusing. My character is "special" personality-wise.  
I am warning you ahead of time, Rion is a lot smarter than he looks.

This is one part of the dungeon… a short chapter.

I own nothing related to Persona, SMT, or well anything.

* * *

Souji wasn't really looking forward to the morning. He felt mentally scarred by what he saw in the "Midnight Channel" last night. The subtle, sublime love shit. Yosuke and Souji were mauled in his dream last night by those loincloth clad people.

"What the hell is this about?" Souji thought, "All I know is that we need to get him the hell out of there before he gets eaten by a Shadow and spit out. What is going on in Kanji's head? I think Rion knows. We'll have to ask him."

Souji walked to school, and school itself was quite the daze. None of the group was really paying attention in class; well Rion never paid attention, but still... At the end of the day, the entire group of misfits gathered around the desks.

Yosuke let out a sigh, "So, I guess Kanji is already in the TV from the pattern so far."

Yukiko looked despondent, "I wonder what the Midnight Channel really is…"

"Hmm…" Rion seemed to be thinking and muttering at the same time.

"At first, I thought it was one of those paranormal things, but when I gave it a try. It was real," Chie said.

"I wasn't expecting it to work. I thought it was some joke," Souji said. "It feels like it really is sometimes," Souji was thinking to himself.

"I didn't think it would be connected to another world," Chie said.

Yosuke looked worried, "If there's a rumor going around, then that means there are others watching the Midnight Channel too."

Yukiko asked, "How did it go? You stare into a turned-off TV on a rainy night…"

"You'd see your soul mate," Rion finished, "As ridiculous as it is, people started believing that whoever they saw was there soul mate."

"I don't believe that many people would actually try it though," Souji said. "Would they?" Souji thought.

"Unless they were urged to by others; I mean peer pressure is a strong thing," Rion said.

"That is so ridiculous though," Yosuke said, "Who would try that? If they do try it, it actually works. If the rumor spreads, and everyone starts watching the Midnight Channel…"

"It could cause a huge panic," Chie said. Chie shook her head. She could see the consequences it would cause.

"According to Teddie, the missing people that are kidnapped are creating the images we're seeing," Souji said. "So, those are Kanji's crazy thoughts," he thought, "Subtle love shit."

"It isn't random, it's specifically related to whoever goes missing," Yosuke said.

Chie looked angry, "Yukiko had a show too, but she didn't remember doing anything like that."

"No matter how great it looked," Souji thought. He was still thinking about her in that dress.

"This might be a little off-subject, but… The culprit is probably watching the shows that come on," Yukiko conjectured. She shook her head. She remembered her Shadow, and was disgusted by it.

"That's pretty sickening if he's watching not only Yukiko's show and getting a kick out of it, but now Kanji's…," Rion said.

"No doubt, he's probably sitting back and enjoying… Wait a sec, I bet he is enjoying it. He's probably laughing his head off watching the "show" that comes on after he throws people into the TV!" Chie said angrily. Souji looked at Chie's face, and wanted to slowly back away.

"I get it, it is definitely a possibility," Yosuke said.

"This image I get of our killer is a quite disgusting one," Souji said.

"A person one would like to mutilate in a dark alley," Rion said with conviction.

"I wanna see everything about you, Yuki-chan!" Yosuke said in a creepy voice.

Souji had thoughts about taking the killer and as Rion said, mutilating the killer in a dark alley where no one could find him.

"Urgh…," Chie exclaimed, "Wait a minute, so if people were watching Yukiko's show… Does that mean they saw what happened to me, too?" Chie asked.

"That is quite the possibility," Rion answered.

"Oh, that is it! This killer is Dead Meat! I'm going to leave footprints all over this guy's face!" Chie exclaimed.

"Go right ahead… I'm not going to stop you," Souji said. He was still pissed off at the killer watching Yukiko's show.

"Guys!" Chie exclaimed, "First, we save Kanji! Then, we crush the killer! Finally, we crush the killer, then we send him to hell!"

"I understand…," Souji said, "Crush and kill!" Souji ignored the fact that she was repeating herself.

They felt a bond forming between themselves as they decided to crush the killer, and… mutilate him.

Yukiko of course, after Chie's comments, started laughing again. "Chie, those last two, were the same thing."

"I know, Yukiko," Chie responded. Chie futility attempted to stop Yukiko from laughing.

After Yukiko finally stopped laughing, the group headed towards Junes to go into the TV world via the Electronics Department.

They were walking to Junes when Rion asked Souji, "So, have you been trading in your stuff for new armor, and weapons?"

"Uhh, why would I do that?" Souji said. Souji remembered Daidara saying something about that, but he forgot everything he had said about it.

"To improve your fighting capabilities as a Persona-user. Are you still using the fake weaponry that you used in the castle? How about the armor?" Rion rolled his eyes.

"So if I have?" Souji did feel a little silly, but that fake katana had served him well. It had helped beat the crap out of Yukiko's Prince Charming. He probably needed to upgrade his armor though.

"It would be advantageous if you would improve your armor at least," Rion told him the truth, "We don't want you to die out there. Without you, we are lost."

Souji took his words to heart, and headed to Daidara to buy new armor. He again was faced with a new dilemma… Where to hide his sword?

They entered the TV world to try and find Kanji's whereabouts. When they got there, Teddie looked confused and downtrodden. The group needed a happy Teddie to rescue Kanji, and a downtrodden Teddie meant no Kanji.

"Hey, Teddie, someone's here, right?" Souji asked as he turned to the bear.

"Oh, yep, I think someone is here…," Teddie said reluctantly. Teddie really did look kind of lost to Souji.

"You think? Do you know where he is?" Chie asked sympatheticly.

"I dunno," Teddie said.

Yukiko said to Teddie, "We think it's a boy named Kanji."

"I dunno." Teddie said again.

Chie looked concerned at the bear, "What's wrong Teddie? Not feeling well?"

"Well, I sniff and sniff, but I can't tell where the smell is coming from," Teddie responded to the group.

"You can't tell us the location of our missing person?" Rion said.

"Aren't you thinking too much about other things?" Yosuke said, "Last time, you were wondering about who you really are, and how long you've really been here. Your head is empty to begin with dude, so don't stress out about these things too much."

"I don't think you should put so much pressure on the bear. He's doing the best he can," Souji said. He was really thinking, "We're in trouble."

"You're right," Teddie said as he turned around. He was despondent as he talked.

"He's seriously down about this," Chie said. She sounded worried.

"If he can't help us, I don't know how we can save Kanji," Souji said.

Rion look at the group, "I think it might be best to help him out."

"If you can't figure out where Kanji is, then we are in serious trouble," Yosuke said, motioning to the bear.

"We can't exactly wander aimlessly in a place like this, can we?" Souji said, "We'd get lost again."

Teddie turned around and faced the group. He looked excited, "I know what might help! You could give me a clue about this Kanji person! It's just a feeling I have. I think I could concentrate better with it. Do you have anything that could give me a good understanding of him?"

"I don't think I can give you anything substantial," Rion said, "Just that he can't hit me."

"He can't hit you…," Souji thought, "Did you actually fight him?"

"Something about Kanji, huh?" Yosuke said, "I don't think I know anything outside all the rumors I've heard."

Chie looked at the bear, "Yeah, it's not like we know him that well."

Souji shook his head, "I can't really give you anything."

"Even though I used to know him, he's changed too much," Yukiko said.

"I just need some sort of hint. Something that tells me who he really is like," Teddie said.

"We can always ask around, and find out what other people know about him," Yukiko told her idea to the group.

"Well, where should we start?" Souji said.

The group headed out of the and left the TV world leaving Teddie all alone. Souji wondered if it was a good idea to always Teddie alone to think all the time.

They ended up sitting in the table at Junes like always.

"So, who knows where we should look to find out where Kanji is?" Rion asked while absentmindedly twirling his walking stick…

"He uses his walking stick as a staff… What kind of sick… At least he's talented" Souji thought. "How should I know?" Souji said.

"Well, we could talk to his mother," Yukiko said.

"Excellent idea, Yukiko-san," Yosuke said.

"Well… we could also bug that weird dude that Kanji was hanging out with earlier," Souji said.

"That weird… dude… I think I know what's wrong now," Rion thought, shaking his head. He said, "Sure, that's a start."

"Well, I guess if we come up with more ideas as we go along we can just relay them to each other," Yosuke said.

Rion looked at Yosuke, "I thought Souji was the leader, not you."

Yosuke looked at his feet in shame. Souji could hug Rion for saying that if he wasn't such a smart-ass, and if he wasn't a guy. He wasn't going to be on that Midnight Channel… "If only Yukiko said those words...," Souji thought.

Souji said, "THANK GOD! Someone finally told Yosuke that I'm in charge…"

"I guess we can let Souij be in charge of finding the clues for finding Kanji…," Chie said.

"Alright," Souji said, "Finally, I'm in charge of something."

So forth, they left their table to find where Kanji had been dropped when he was "thrown" into the television. Souji shook his head on stepped forth on his arduous task. Truthfully, he wasn't sure if he wanted to find out where Kanji was, based on what the Shadow looked like, but he had to deal with it.

Souji started by talking to Kanji's mother by her store, Tatsumi Textiles in Shopping District North.

"Do you know where Kanji might be?" Souji asked, "I'm trying to find him so he can pulverize me."

"Oh, you're here to ask about him too?" Kanji's mother asked, "He's always running off. There was a small boy who asked about him earlier. I talked to him earlier, but I haven't seen him since."

"Thanks…," Souji said as he nodded to Kanji's mom. "Man, where is that boy. The one who was hanging on Kanji's arm," Souji thought, "I should call Rion. He'll probably freak out and go kill that kid." Souji saw Rion's face when he glanced at that kid the second time, it was pure anger.

Souji decided to wander off to the Junes' elevators after talking to someone in the Floodplains.

"Have you seen a midget around here?" Souji asked.

"A midget in a blue hat?" a man replied, "He's usually at Junes."

"Hey, have you seen a shrimp with a blue hat?" Souji asked a customer.

"Oh…," the lady looked surprised at Souji sneaking up on her, "Yes, he's been hanging around here lately. He asked me all about the recent incidents that has happened around here. He left a little while ago, but he should be here tomorrow."

"Thanks…," Souji said, "Worthless," Souji said as she walked off.

Souji called Rion after he left Junes, "Rion, I'm going to find that little boy you keep harping on. He should be back tomorrow."

"Okay… I'll check back with you tomorrow," Rion said. Rion proceeded to whack at something with his walking stick.

Souji slept through school, until Morooka hit him over the head. After school, Souji headed over to Junes to meet that diminutive boy. When he reached the ground floor, Souji went over and talked to the boy wearing the hat.

"Is there something you need from me?" the boy asked as Souji addressed him, "This is quite a convenient spot for such a small town."

"I saw you talking to Kanji earlier," Souji said.

"Ahh… When I was talking to Kanji-kun earlier, did I notice anything, do you mean?" the boy asked.

"Uhh… yeah?" Souji responded.

"It seems to be important to you, yes? So, I'll just tell you," the boy nodded

"There did seem to be something out of the ordinary. I called him an odd person because of the way he acted," the hat-wearing boy confided.

"Okay…," Souji responded.

"I was quite surprised upon his reaction to my comment. To the actions he had, they seemed unnatural towards me. They seemed out of character. He may have some sort of complex, I do believe," the boy told him.

"I'll keep that in mind," Souji said. "No wonder Rion thinks he's crazy," Souji thought, "Maybe Rion just thinks he's too smart, or he makes crazy-ass assumptions. I don't know… Rion makes some crazy assumptions too."

Souji decided to head to the TV world with the clues that were given by the strange boy. They had gathered by the table first.

"You got the clues from that boy who was with Kanji?" Yukiko said.

"That boy…," Rion thought, "It couldn't be… that."

Well, before that they noticed the fox that Souji had corralled from earlier had followed them here and was sitting patiently by Souji.

"What the hell is that?" Yosuke yelled.

"Something is here!" Chie screamed, "It's a fox!"

"It's just your friendly neighborhood fox," Souji said. He was shocked at first by the fact the fox that he had met from before followed him. He met the fox one evening and conversed with the fox somehow, and it "told" him that it'd heal the others with leaves. It sounds really fishy.

Rion rolled his eyes, "Is that even possible?"

"When did it?" Yosuke said.

Chie looked scared, "It's freakin' terrifying."

Yukiko looked accepting, "I think I've seen it at the shrine before. This apron looks familiar."

"Yeah… I met it after I found some cream for some old person's legs," Souji said, "All I know is it is a money-hungry bastard. It will cure us for tons of money…"

"Cure us?" Chie said.

"With leaves…," Souji said.

"Oh god, help us…," Chie said.

"I think it will work…," Yukiko muttered.

Rion thought, "I think it's going to get bloody rich from us and buy crack."

"So, you're serious right… It wants money to fix us up?" Yosuke said.

The fox yipped in agreement.

"It understands you…," Rion said.

The fox yipped again.

"Oh shit, and we badmouthed it," Yosuke said.

The fox yipped in agreement again and it growled at them.

"Well, here goes our chances for getting cheap fixes this week…," Rion muttered.

Souji laughed, "You're right on that…"

"Since it does understand us, how come the police didn't find it?" Chie inquired.

"It's cause the police are morons beyond belief," Souji said.

"Let's just let it follow us into the world," Rion said, "If it can help us, what's the worst that can happen?"

Pictures of the fox mauling all of them into a bloody mess entered Souji's mind. He shook his head and again and a picture of a fox tearing Souji's head off came into his mind. He shook his head again, and finally a picture of happy thoughts entered.

"As long as it doesn't fuck up the store," Yosuke said.

"Okay, you can come with us," Souji nodded.

The fox looked happy as the others had relented to the fox being in the TV.

They jumped into the TV hoping it would be enough to find Kanji. When they got to the

TV world Teddie was there to greet them. He looked rather happy that they had returned within 2 days. Souji wondered in Teddie knew what a day was. Souji couldn't keep track of time here. It seemed like they were fighting forever while they were saving Yukiko.

"Sensei, you're here!" Teddie exclaimed as he bound toward the group who was walking towards them, "Any clues?"

"Yeah… That we're hopeless," Rion said.

Teddie looked dismayed at first, but Rion rolled his eyes to show he was joking, "You found some!" as Souji walked forward

Souji told Teddie about what he found about Kanji while Yosuke and the others lounged about, preparing their gear. Yosuke pulled out his newly bought kunai, Yukiko opened her fan, while Chie adjusted her cleats, and Rion just shifted his scabbard to his left side.

"A complex, that's all! You're working me to the stuffing! Oh, well. I'll just have to open up my nose really wide and see what I can find," Teddie said at Souji's clue. Souji shook his head. He really didn't give much for Teddie to go on, but what the hell was there? He could have gone for police reports, but… he couldn't exactly go to the police.

"Good luck…," was all Souji said.

Teddie sniffed and sniffed like he was doing the crack the fox gave him.

Teddie lifted his head and pointed northwest, "Oh… I think I found something! It feels like our target! Is this it?" He looked at the group expectedly.

"Well let's go!" Yosuke said, walking up to them. Yosuke resumed command.

"So much for what Rion said…," Souji thought.

The others followed Yosuke, Teddie, and Souji to where Teddie had "smelled". It would be even worse than Yukiko's castle. It would be much, much worse Souji would soon decide.

It ended up being a large bathhouse with large locker rooms in the front for clothes and towels.

"Wow, the steam here… It's killing me," Rion said wiping his forehead. He took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt.

"Is it just me, or does the fog here seem kinda different?" Chie said.

"My glasses are fogging up," Yukiko said wiping her glasses.

"Man… it's hot in here. It's like a---," Yosuke was saying.

"A sauna," Rion finished his sentence, "Where better for Kanji to express his subtle, sublime "love" than a sauna?"

"That's sick Rion," Chie said.

Souji had to agree with Rion, but also with Chie… it was beyond disgusting.

Just then, a voice rang out from the doorway.

"C'mere, pussycat!" The voice said, "Oh… Such well-defined pecs… There's no need to be scared… "

"Anyone have a feeling to run and hide?" Souji said.

"Uhh…," Chie said, "What the hell."

The voice continued, "Now, just relax…"

"I'll take you up on that running and hiding. I really don't want to go," Yosuke said.

"We need to deal with this. This one is much worse," Rion said. Rion had an urge to take the end off of his walking stick and extend his staff.

"Is Kanji-kun really there, Teddie?" Yukiko said, obviously worried.

Teddie nodded, "The nose knows! The bear don't lie."

Souji wondered if Teddie was warm in that outfit, even if he was hollow.

Yukiko and Chie had placed themselves in front of the three boys and bear. They still didn't feel that protected. They had to though, they were girls after all. "Lucky…," Souji thought.

"Uhh… I'm usually all for dealing with Shadows, but this time, I'm not so sure," Souji muttered.

"We're really going in there? I can already feel the sweat rolling down my back," Yosuke said.

"That's because it's so hot," Chie rolled her eyes at Yosuke for about the millionth time today.

So, they decided to enter the Sauna from hell… Already, Souji wanted to Goho-m.

"God… I hate myself…," Rion said as Tajikarawo blocked a blast from one of the pistol-toting guards. He drove his staff up its ass and decapitated its overly large head with his sword.

"Well, quit complaining," Chie said, as Tomoe's "Bufu" froze the guard long enough for her to kick it in the non-existent nads.

"Damn…," Yosuke yelled as one of his kunai was shot out of hands, "Souji!"

"Nata Taishi!" Souji exclaimed, "Sonic Punch!" to hamstring the Shadow. Souji and Yosuke with his remaining kunai drove their blades into the Shadow, effectively destroying it.

There was a rock-like Shadow that only the "Garu" skills of Jiraiya could handle. So, Yosuke had Jiraiya use "Magaru".

"Let's go, Partner!" Yosuke yelled after all were knocked down.

So, they went… None were destroyed.

"Worthless," Souji said, "Just keep using your damn wind attacks, Yosuke."

There were there wispy Shadows with the only distinguishing marking… were the sigils on the proverbial foreheads.

Every attack they threw at was pointless. Yukiko fired her "Maragi" at it with Konohana Sakuya. It did exactly… nothing. Souji's Oberon with "Zio" and Jiraiya with "Magaru" were completely worthless. Tajikarawo and Tomoe were ineffective at attacking it physically.

Souji and Rion shared a look as they dodged the Shadows' attack, "Chie, use your ice attacks."

"Tomoe!" "Mabufu!"

Needless to say, it had quite the impact it needed. The Shadows disappeared in purple smoke.

While they had been struggling with the wispy Shadows, arrows were flying at them.

Yukiko threw her fan in defense. They were small pixies carrying bows. Konohana Sakuya was still summoned and she had fired her flames in retaliation of the arrows, "Maragi!"

While the attack did damage to the Shadows, it did not destroy them, and they again fired arrows at Yukiko. She was driven back by the repeated attack.

"Chie!" Yukiko yelled.

Chie had just finished off the other Shadows, "What is it!?" as she turned around.

"Help me!" Yukiko exclaimed as the pixies drew their arrows for another volley.

"Oh no, you don't!" Chie yelled, "Mabufu!" as Tomoe fired shards of ice into the pixies, ripping them into shreds.

"Thanks…," Yukiko said as Chie wiped the sweat off her brow.

"Guys…," Souji broke up their proverbial faux-love-dovey fest with a warning, "We've got company."

Rion had just stabbed one of those police-looking Shadows with his sword, and his Persona was holding another one off with his staff. Rion said, "Tajikarawo, Torrent Shot!" He was perfectly calm as he removed his sword and diagonally cut up the Shadow diagonally to the left.

Yosuke threw one of his kunai into the Shadow before running away from it. Souji came forth to protect it and crushed his card. "Lilim!" "Mudo!"

The dark energies that covered the Shadow evaporated the aggressor.

The winged girl-deity winked at Souji before she disappeared. "Creepy," Souji thought.

All the while they had been fighting, Teddie was barking orders, and mainly being a pain in the ass to everyone.  
"Teddie, shut up, and let us deal with it!" Souji yelled while his sword cleaved through a monster.

"Souji pwned an enemy!" Teddie yelled.

"TEDDIE!" Souji yelled.

"Sorry…," Teddie said. He looked down, "I'm just trying to help…"

As they walked up to the third floor, the sauna seemed eerily empty as they reached a door.

"This is a little peculiar. I think this should be the last floor we go through until we head back," Rion suggested.

Souji nodded in agreement, "That's fine with me. I don't think I can use Jack Frost much more before I get dizzy…"

As they unlocked the door into the middle area of the third floor they ran ahead only to see the Shadow Kanji in his towel. His back was facing them, and it wasn't a pretty sight to see his butt-cheeks.

"There he is!" Chie yelled.

"Kanji!" Yosuke yelled.

"Hey!" Souji said, "Turn around!" He was disturbed enough already.

Kanji turned around… if at Souji's request or just because there were people here, Souji wasn't sure. Kanji had a microphone in his hand and he said, _"Ohh… my my! Thank you for your undivided attention. At last I've penetrated the facility."_

"Anyone hear something wrong with that last statement?" Rion asked. Rion shook his head.

"That's so wrong," Souji muttered. "I didn't need to hear that," Souji thought.

Kanji didn't seem to hear either of those last two comments, _"These images are coming to you live from inside the steamy paradise. But I've yet to have to any charming encounters. Could this hot fog be the cause? It's like steam rising from sweat. My body is tingling from excitement!"_

A sign appeared above Kanji's head. Men Only! Kanji Tatsumi in Rosy Steamy Paradise.

"This is so wrong," Souji said. He looked at Yosuke who had a green tinge on his face.

Chie shook her head, "I remember it kind of being like this in Yukiko's show too."

Yukiko tried to deny it, "No, it wasn't anything like this."

"Are you sure about that?" Rion said.

"No, no, no…," Yukiko continued to deny it.

Voices were heard laughing throughout the dungeon… It was annoying to Souji.

"Those voices again," Yosuke said. He put his headphones on, sans music, to tune them out.

"They were in Yukiko's dungeon too. They're louder this time," Chie remarked.

"Could it be people watching from the outside? I was wondering what it might be," Yosuke asked.

"So, it could be the people watching the Midnight Channel are reacting to what they see here?" Souji said.

Chie looked shocked, "If they see this, he's going to be a legend in a way he never intended."

"You're not kidding," Souji looked at the others. "As long as Kanji isn't a legend to me, I could care less," Souji thought.

"Well, it isn't really him, but everyone else won't know that," Yosuke said.

"Guys," Teddie warned them, "The Shadows are getting really restless."

"Great…," Rion said, idly spinning his staff.

"_That elusive thing I really yearn for… Will I find it here?"_ The Shadow chuckled, _"Well then, onward and forward to reach further into the realms of romance. Let's get going Dammit!"_ The Shadow ran off into the fog. The group was far too disturbed to chase after Kanji's Shadow.

Yukiko stepped forward after a moment, "Kanji-kun!"

Teddie stepped forward as well, "That was his other self. It's trying to reveal his hidden feelings."

"That he is an insecure little bastard who can't decide what he wants to be?" Rion muttered, pushing up his glasses.

"It seems much worse than last time with Yuki-chan's shadow. At this rate… It might end up getting "bear" naked," Teddie said, apparently trying to get a laugh out of Yukiko in general.

"Bear… naked?" Yukiko muttered. She wasn't laughing.

Chie looked at Yukiko, "Oh man, here it comes." Chie was expecting the worse.

"Uh… was I supposed to laugh?" Yukiko looked at everyone.

"Thank god!" Souji thought, "We won't have to wait."

While the rest of them ran off, Teddie fell over in a heap at his failure to make Yukiko giggle like a school girl.

"Let's keep moving everyone," Souji said.

So, the group continued forward through the sauna.

"Tajikarawo!" Rion yelled for what it seemed about the hundredth time. They were facing a lion-like Shadow that had a ball attached by a chain. Magic was doing damage, but it wasn't knocking it over. "Torrent Shot!"

"Thank you!" he muttered. The others were thanking him as well as one of the lion Shadows had disappeared. But the others were still coming.

"Magaru!" Yosuke yelled as Jiraiya shielded him from a lion's paw.

"Mazio… Oberon," Souji muttered as the fairy swung his sword, emitting sparks.

As some of the Shadows fell, it gave them time to back away and move farther into the sauna.

---

"Are we almost done?" Yosuke asked as they were currently in the middle of another fight.

Chie cuffed him, "Why are you asking me? Ask our fearless leader," she had just kicked a huge humanoid monster with large fists and a blue face that Tomoe had driven her spear into. Souji had used "Bufula" with Jack Frost on the other gigas and sliced downward.

Rion rolled his eyes, "We need you to attack them, not ask questions." His Persona was not very useful against this type of Shadow.

"Fine…," Yosuke huffed, "Let's go, Magaru!" as Jiraiya's wind blew the gigas in the air and down again.

"Well… that's one type of Shadow down," Chie shrugged.

As they futilely tried to open a locked door, they were forced into a battle by fishy Shadows.

As Rion swung his sword, trying to find an opening, he told Souji, "Do you still have Archangel, or a derivative of such?"

"Yes, why?" Souji asked.

"I think it will work against it," Rion responded, "Hurry…" as Rion rolled to the right from an attack.

As the fish advanced, Souji took the card in his hand. The Shadows turned their attention to him, "Principality!" "Mahama!"

The same spell he had used with Angel in the castle had surrounded all of the Shadows in a circular pattern on the floor and it rose to destroy them.

"Are we done yet?" Teddie asked, walking through the dead Shadows' fog.

"What!? Are you tired of us pwning enemies already?" Souji asked.

"No… no, it's just…," Teddie pointed, "Look!"

Souji turned to see more Shadows that were attracted by their battle. They were pots… pots were people in them. Pots… that casted spells at people.

"Shit…," Souji muttered as he was thrown to the floor. Yosuke helped him up while Yukiko fired back with "Maragi".

"We can't win by doing minimal damage," Souji said as the Shadows retaliated against Konohana's "Maragi".

"I know you can win this, guys," Teddie said, "Just keep at it!"

"Use electricity…," Rion said calmly as he and Chie were currently engaging one of the Shadows with their staff and greaves.

Souji moved away from a crater that a spell had caused and exclaimed, "Oberon!" "Mazio!" The pots fell to their sides.

"Let's kick their asses!" Souji rallied the group.

"About time!" Chie yelled as everyone rushed forward into the pot Shadows.

"Okay, here is the stairs," Souji said after walking and battling endlessly. It seemed that there was two ways to get to the next level, and this was the way that wasn't locked. Everyone looked like they were about to collapse anyways, besides… Rion, Souji noticed.

"Let's go home," Souji told the group.

"See you later!" Teddie said as they left the TV world.

Souji could do nothing but say hi and then fall asleep. He dreamed of wrestling that fox, and the fox won. He would have to check and see if he had all of his limbs in the morning.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
I am butchering dialogue, battles, and s-links to get the novel version respectable. I can make characters more cynical, mean, out of character, and amusing. My character is "special" personality-wise.

My ownership of SMT and Persona amounts to… nothing. I do own… my personality.

This is just finishing up the dungeon.

* * *

The first foray into the sauna was an exhausting one. The next day would prove to be an excruciating one. Souji walked to school with some mild trepidation. They would find out the test scores for the first exam today. The scores would be placed on the bulletin board. Their names, unfortunately, would be placed right next to their scores. It's not like he wasn't smart, but he didn't study at all before he took it. He knew Rion would be first, and Yukiko would probably be second. Though he wasn't sure since she was in the TV for most of the time they were covering the material. Just one more morning of listening to Morooka and they'd find out. "Oh joy," Souji was thinking.

"The test scores are now posted!" some random student who probably flunked the damn thing yelled at lunchtime. She looked like a ditz to Souji.

Yosuke who was standing next to Souji's desk shook his head and muttered, "Now for the awful moment of truth." Souji looked at Yosuke. Yosuke was rather pale.

As Souji walked down he heard various expletives and random words of happiness being emitted throughout the area by the bulletin board.

"Ahh, Dammit!" Yosuke yelled.

Obviously, Yosuke was not happy with his test results. Souji felt a small tinge of empathy for his Junes buddy. Maybe Yosuke should have spent less time yelling at those slacker girls, and more time studying.

Chie, meanwhile, was busy yelling at the wall like it was a teacher, "This is what you get for not teaching me what I need to know!"

Yukiko and Rion looked quite satisfied with their scores, said nothing, and only smiled while consoling Chie and Yosuke.

Souji went to look at his score. Amazingly, he had the third-highest score. He was only behind the smart-ass and the pretty girl. Everyone else looked at him like he the next best thing after sliced bread. Souji smirked inwardly. He didn't really need to study after all.

"Not bad," Rion said to him after turning around and walking over.

"Good job, Souji," Yukiko said, "You must have studied really hard."

"Yeah, I studied really hard," Souji rolled his eyes, his words dripping with sarcasm. Souji immediately changed from his façade and smiled at Yukiko, "You too! It was amazing you did so well with all the time you were gone."

"It's because I had someone to tutor me," Yukiko blushed and Souji definitely noticed.

Souji was having a good day and was even happier by Yukiko's most recent comment. His expression changed. Rion rolled his eyes. Souji made a note to find some way that Rion doesn't blackmail him later.

"Not fair! How come he does well when he doesn't study, when I study all the time and I suck?" Yosuke said.

"That would require you actually studying," Rion said with his usual dry tones.

Everyone broke out laughing at that besides Rion. They had to wait a while for Yukiko to stop laughing before returning to class.

Souji hung out with Ai by skipping school. Yukiko looked at him disapprovingly. Was it because of him skipping class, or the girl? Now that Souji thought about it, she didn't look that happy to see him leaving with Ai. Souji and Ai returned right before the bell rang. He spent some time the next day polishing balls, no, shooting hoops with Kou.

Souji saw that you can order items from the TV now. Tanaka looked like some kind of crook. "Who'd want to buy some of that shit? It looks like crap. Diet food, my ass!?" Souji muttered. Yet, May 22nd would be spent fighting Shadows in the bathhouse. Souji had called the others to head over to Junes to reach the world of the TV.

"Let's try and finish this today…," Souji told the group while petting the fox. He wanted it to be in a good mood and not eat them when he paid it. The fox spat a key at Souji while he was petting it. Souji was disturbed.

"All of it?" Rion said, a little disbelievingly, "You sure about that?"

"I want to at least get through four more floors today," Souji said, "We don't know how far up he'll be."

Chie kicked Yosuke in the leg because he was about to object, "Whatever you say, leader," Yosuke said. Yosuke looked like going back was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Yosuke just doesn't want to go back to that steamy bathhouse. He doesn't want to be attacked," Chie joked.

Yosuke pushed her, "Hey! I'm not scared!"

Chie kicked him, "Watch where you push!"

"Dammit, Chie!" Yosuke held his shin.

Yukiko looked at Souji with exasperation on her face, "They'll be at this for a while, so let's just go and let them catch up."

The others left Chie and Yosuke behind as they entered the TV world…

"Hey guys!" Teddie said as they came in from the Junes' Electronic Department, "Are you guys going to save Kanji today?"

"We'll try to…," Souji said. "There were not many things I could say without making some innuendo comment," he thought. He readjusted the sword on his back. He had pulled it out of his uniform and nearly ripped his jacket apart. Why they had to hide it under the uniforms was so annoying.

"Let's just go and try not to get killed," Rion said. He was leaning on his walking stick. His sword's scabbard was adjusted to be on the back part of his waist this time. Souji just shook his head.

"Fine, let's just not suck," Yosuke muttered who had arrived a short while ago with Chie.

Chie and Yukiko looked at Yosuke wide-eyed.

"Suck?" Souji thought, "So much for not having innuendo comments." Souji rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Teddie looked at everyone else's shocked faces, "What's wrong?"

"Well, there was something seriously wrong with that statement," Rion said.

"He just doesn't want you to guys to suck," Teddie said.

Rion shook his head, "In this area, you wouldn't want to make that statement."

All the same, they headed up to the sauna where Kanji's Shadow and Kanji was.

"Let's deal with this," Souji said as they walked into the steam and fog.

"I swear if one more thing blows up in my face," Rion muttered in the fifth floor, dealing with a dice Shadow. It decided to blow up before it could be killed. It knocked over every single person and dispelled every Persona. Finally, it was discovered that Souji's Oberon could massacre those creatures.

"Calm down, Rion," Souji said, "It's under control." "Oberon!" "Zio!" "By the way. I thought you said no more innuendo."

"Shut up…," Rion muttered as his sword cut into the dice. Rion had a burn on his arm, and he was not amused. Rion started darting in and out of the dice and cutting through the downed dice. Souji followed with his sword.

"Media!" Yukiko had yelled again. Konohana Sakuya was busy. It didn't help that every time someone attacked with Bufu that she would be blown over and her Persona would suffer the same fate.

"Dia!" Souji yelled as he summoned Archangel to heal the frozen Yukiko. His jacket was on fire again from the dice, and he had to beat it out repeatedly before it spread.

"Why is everything only weak against lightning?" Yosuke wondered as Jiraiya attacked with "Sonic Punch" and he cut through a raven with his kunai simultaneously.

"Quit whining," Souji said, "Mazio!" Oberon's sword became a conductor of electricity and fired into the ravens.

"Thank you…," Yosuke said in relief.

"Okay, Chie… You deal with this one!" Souji pointed at the stupid hands that kept resisting every Persona magic he had.

"Help me, Tomoe!" "Skull Cracker!" Chie yelled. The double-bladed spear-wielding persona massacred the hand. She took the other hand out by kicking it with her iron feet.

The hands kept on coming. They were bum-rushed by hands.

"I need your halp, Rion!" yelled Chie.

"Don't get your skirt in a twist!" Rion exclaimed, "Reach for the Sun, Tajikarawo!" His staff and sword were a blur, while Souji's Eligor was shielding Souji while he attacked with his katana. Konohana Sakuya healed Chie and Yosuke, while Yukiko's fan attacked anyone who came near.

"Torrent Shot!" "Torrent Shot!" The staff-wielding hermit knocked away the hands that encircled Rion. "Alright! Are you ready?!" They all ran at the hands haphazardly and blew them away into oblivion.

"Was it just me, or was that really odd?" Souji said afterwards.

"Shut up…," Rion muttered, "It's better than "Alright guys! Pile-on!"". Rion was mimicking what Chie said before they charged Shadows.

"You're right, that is worse," Souji shook his head.

"Are you making fun of me!?" Chie yelled.

"Yes…," Rion said.

"Jerk…," Chie muttered.

"Right… Well whatever," Souji said. "No wonder he actually can deal with fighting Kanji's Shadow," Souji thought.

Rion had ignored all the talk, and was the only Persona-user not breathing heavily as they had hit the seventh floor. A lot of steam was being emitted from beyond the door in the center of the little causeway.

Yosuke looked at the others, "I think there is something scary beyond this door."

"Then go take your ninja frog thingy, and run off with your tail between your legs," Souji said. Souji knew Yosuke wouldn't. Yosuke had too much pride.

"Fine…," Yosuke looked a little hurt. Yosuke wasn't going to run away, even if a good portion of him wanted to.

They entered in a diamond formation with Yosuke and Chie on the sides, Souji in the front, Yukiko in the back, and Rion in the middle. In front of them, was the Shadow of Kanji and a similar Gigas that they faced in the earlier floors, but it was much larger.

"Guys…," Souji started to say, but he was cut off.

"_Welcome to Man's World!"_ The Shadow said, _"This place is heating up from the sudden entry of a fine young man. To celebrate this encounter, I've prepared a special stage tonight! A single match with no time limit. Who will be left standing at the end? Now, pour out your hot blood and guts!"_

"You got to be kidding me!" Yosuke yelled looking at the monster who was flexing his massive deltoids.

"Time to roll the dice," Rion muttered.

"Kanji-kun…," Yukiko said.

"Can we fight this?" Chie asked herself.

"Don't lose Sensei!" Teddie said.

"I don't plan to!" Souji said.

They entered the battle by the gigas charging itself up twirling his arms. It had "Power Charged" then used an attack to knock the others down easier, "Rebellion".

"One enemy ambushed you!" Teddie yelled, "Hang in there, Sensei!"

"We know!" Souji yelled.

"Sworry," Teddie responded.

They soon learned there was a pattern to this madness. The monster soon used "Tarukaja" which had strengthened its attack. It then proceeded to use "Single Shot" to try to knock out or destroy one of the members.

The first attack came straight at Yukiko and her Persona. She wasn't ready for the attack. "Souji!" she yelled.

Souji heard her cry and ran towards her, but he knew he wouldn't get there in time. Souji wasn't sure what he was going to do. Yukiko was closing her eyes, and Souji was doing the same as he and Eligor fruitlessly charged towards her.

Before the attack hit Yukiko, an impact was heard, but it wasn't Yukiko that was hit, it was Rion and Tajikarawo.

"Thank goodness," Souji thought as Tajikarawo's staff was holding against the Shadow's fist. Rion was bleeding from the lip and in Souji's mind, must have been hit before Tajikarawo blocked the fist.

"Rion! You idiot! You almost died!" Yukiko yelled.

"You have a better idea?" Rion asked Yukiko, struggling to his feet as Souji's sword hit the gigas as Sarasvati lowered its defense with "Rakunda". Unfortunately for Rion, this wouldn't be the only time he would have to do this for someone.

Rion spit out the blood in his mouth, "Don't use physical attacks unless you have to. Utilize magic."

"Okay…," Souji answered. "Bufula!" The ice froze the legs of the gigas, and Yosuke followed with Jiraiya. "Garu!"

"Come, Konohana Sakuya! Agilao!" Yukiko's flames had melted what was left of the ice after the wind had blown away some of it. It was also doing some damage to his skin it was so fast. The flames were causing burns. It was making for an unhappy gigas.

Still it continued its pattern of charging its strength, charging a little more, and then trying to one-shot someone. The only person that could survive it was Rion, but even afterwards he would need Yukiko or Yosuke to perform countless "Dia" spells to survive another blow. Luckily, Rion boosted his own defense with "Rakukaja" to make it out alive a few times.

After a few repetitions, the Shadow was softened up enough that Yosuke had come forward and driven his right kunai into the Shadow's left leg, forcing it downward slightly so he could launch himself into the air to slash it in the face with his left blade. The Shadow recoiled in pain as the blade raked across his face.

Chie came forward and used her right leg for a roundhouse and continued with her left as a backlash, while Yukiko's fan accurately hit in the same spot where Yosuke's blade had just made its mark.

While the gigas was struggling to regain its balance, Souji ran up and cleaved the Shadow in the right arm, and as it staggered he continued to strike in its left arm.

The Shadow was pissed and it lashed out at Souji, and he ducked out of the way. It struck at Rion, who was running and flipped away from the Shadow. Rion was running circles around it, and he grabbed the massive Shadow's blond hair and pulled it down by using inertia.

"Finish it…," Rion gestured to Souji.

Souji walked up to the massive Shadow, and drove his katana into its chest.

It died…

"Did we win?" Yukiko asked, as Konohana Sakuya disappeared.

"Yes, you're fine," Souji said, "I think even if we didn't, you'd be alright."

"Oh, okay…," Yukiko looked slightly confused.

"What does that mean?" Yosuke asked Souji.

"It means that they aren't interested in the girls, only Yosuke," Souji said calmly.

"You jerk…," Yosuke muttered.

"Anyways, it's dead," Souji said.

They looked on Teddie said, "That's our Sensei," congratulating them on the win, "I knew you would win!"

They had obtained a bathhouse key from the dead Gigas.

"Let's head back, guys," Souji said.

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired after being a punching bag for this guy," Rion said as he fingered a cut in his shirt. Rion sighed; he was tired of replacing his clothes. Souji could relate with jackets and them catching on fire.

"Well, it was your choice to protect me," Yukiko said, but she looked happy regardless.

"I have to thank him later," Souji thought, "Though I'm not sure what he'll say… He doesn't seem like the blackmailer type."

Chie looked at her, "Well, if he didn't… I wouldn't want to see what you'd look like after that," and she then looked at Rion and said, "You do look like shit though."

"Thanks," Rion muttered.

They headed out of the dungeon and went back home. When he arrived at his adobe Souji fell asleep right on the living room couch and not even Nanako could wake him up.

The next day he figured he would be hanging out with Yumi and Nanako today. During lunch Rion asked him a question, "So, I want to hurry and save Kanji too, but hurrying too quickly may not be really healthy for us. What would you have us do?"

Souji was surprised that Rion would ask him, but he understood that they had a mutual bond of respect after all.

"I don't think any of you are going to hang out with each other until we finish this, Rion."

"Fair, enough. I'll see you tomorrow," Rion shrugged.

Yumi was a moody bitch during the whole drama club, and had nothing positive to contribute to society.

"What a waste of time," Souji said to himself as he left.

He ate his ramen on the way home and reached his home for the year. He was ready to deal with his eternal enemy… Nanako. Well, he was kidding, but it was fun.

"Welcome home, big bro!"

Souji held his ears. They were bleeding. "Hello, Nanako," he responded.

"What are we doing today?" she asked.

"You're making me dinner, Nanako," Souji responded with an evil grin on face.

"But… I can't make dinner yet, Big Bro," she whined. Tears were starting to form on those tiny brown eyes.

"Fine… I'll make it," Souji said as he sighed as he had just sat down. He wasn't sure what to make. He thought to himself, "If I try to make something, I'll probably burn the house down…"

"Yay! Big bro is making me dinner!" Nanako looked happy.

"She's so easy to please…," thought Souji. He looked in the fridge, there was a bunch of expired crap that he didn't know what the hell it was still doing in here, "Probably because Dojima is never here to clean it out," he muttered to himself.

After eating a dinner of some kind of food, he liked his ramen better, he sat across from Nanako.

"So… what now, big bro?" Nanako asked.

"I'll show you a magic trick," Souji answered.

Souji took a five-yen piece from behind Nanako's ear.

"That was so cool! How'd you do it?" Nanako seemed in awe of the trick.

"It's because I'm loaded," Souji said. He didn't say, "It's because I spend time killing things all day… I would be more loaded, but the fox steals my money."

"Huh?" Nanako was confused.

"Never mind, Nanako… Go to bed…," Souji told her.

Nanako looked disappointed, "Okay, big bro."

She went to bed and Souji watched go up to her room.

"Finally, some time for myself," Souji said as she closed the door, "I'll fold some envelopes, study, and then I think I'll watch what I want on TV for a while."

As he fell asleep watching TV, Souji decided they would save Kanji tomorrow.

Flashback…

* * *

"So why are we at the Sauna again?" Yosuke asked.

"To find Kanji, and save him from… yeah," Souji said.

"What do you mean by yeah?" Teddie said.

"Never mind," Yukiko muttered.

Yosuke looked at him, "I mean why we are here twice in two days?"

"We have nothing better to do," Rion rolled his eyes, "It's either that, or study."

Souji knew Rion would never study.

They entered the sauna again.

* * *

They were all pretty perturbed at the suggestive themes that were being told by the voices of "Kanji" as they walked up the "dungeon". The voices were especially disturbing to Yosuke.

"The things that these voices are really getting to me," Yukiko muttered.

"You know what's getting to me, Yukiko," Rion said, "These multi-handed Shadows that keep using "Agilao" and "Bufula"." Ice was knocking over both Rion and Yukiko. The fire was burning Chie and ruining another of Souji's coats.

Chie and Souji had to deal with each of them separately.

"They are not weak to anything," Rion said, "We have tried all of the elements."

Souji sighed. He figured as much. "Sarasvati… Bufula!" The icicles reached the top of the magus, and Chie followed up by attacking multiple ones at the same time, "Rampage!"

"Okay, okay," Souji said, "Let's move on."

Chie had more of her own issues as they walked on, "There are too many enemies that I can't kick!" She would kick a Shadow that would look like a table with flames or a twin that was connected by spokes and it would bounce off harmlessly.

"It's reflective!" Yosuke yelled.

"Thank you, Mr. Obvious!" Chie yelled back, "Bufu!" It knocked over the table Shadow.

"Finally!" Souji exclaimed in relief, "I wondered if I was going to have done something about them myself." He was about ready to summon Sarasvati.

"Konohana Sakuya" "Agilao!" "There, the other monsters are dead," Yukiko told Chie, pointing at the twins who had been knocked over and turned into purple dust.

They did enjoy killing the same kind of Gigas over and over, well kind of.

"Magaru!" Yosuke's wind blew not just their blond hair, but also their bodies into the air. It made good target practice for well… everyone. Souji wiped off a mess on one of those Shadows' hair.

Trying to walking into the 10th floor was difficult as they had encountered another kind of beetle Shadows.

"Everyone, move back…," Chie said as one of them tried to strike again with its horns.

Rion casually crushed his card, "Tajikarawo, Torrent Shot!" as needles flew into the Shadow.

"Anything will work…," Rion said calmly.

"Magaru!" "Mabufu!" "Mazio!" "Maragi!" came from Yosuke, Chie, Souji, and Yukiko respectively to destroy the beetles.

"Will someone please kill those Magi?" Souji wondered as they were pounding the others… They were bugging the members of his group again.

"They're a strong one, Sensei!" Teddie had yelled.

Souji had yelled back that he really didn't care how strong they were, but now they were being driven into the ground by them. They were picking off the members using their weaknesses. Yukiko had ice, Chie had fire, Yosuke had lightning, and Rion had two of them: wind and ice. Souji had to keep switching his Persona to finally get rid of the Magi.

Reaching the final floor, the 11th, they went back to the bottom to heal with the fox.

"Man, what a rip-off," Souji thought.

It was incredibly steamy on the "final floor".

"It's Kanji. I sense him here!" Teddie had stated using his outside voice.

"So, are we ready?" Souji asked as they were ready to enter the realm of steam.

"Well, do we have a choice?" Rion asked.

"I don't think so," Chie said.

Yukiko looked at them, "Let's save Kanji-kun."

They ran into the "steamy paradise of love" to see the real Kanji facing his Shadow.

"There they are!" Chie yelled.

"Thank you for that observation," Rion said.

"Kanji!" Yosuke yelled.

"Kanji-kun! Are you okay?" Yukiko looked worried.

Souji went forward, "Kanji, we came here to get you away from this."

"Completely unrelated to the innuendo that could be caused by any of the sayings," Rion muttered.

Kanji was stuttering at facing the Shadow.

"I… I…" Kanji was trying to say something to save him from fighting the Shadow.

The Shadow had other ideas and talked to him, _"Oh, come now, enough with this charade. Isn't it awful to deceive people? To decide yourself…? What's so bad to do what I want to do?"_

Kanji seemed worn out and said to the Shadow with lackluster, "That has nothin' to do with it."

The Shadow was not deterred, _"I'm what you really want, aren't I?"_

"Hell no!" Kanji had gotten angry in a heartbeat.

The Shadow began mocking Kanji, just like Yukiko's Shadow mocked Yukiko, _"Oh, how I hate girls… So arrogant and self-centered! They cry if you get angry, they gossip behind your back, they spread nasty lies. They look at me like I'm some… some disgusting THING and say that I'm a weirdo. Laughing at me, all the while. "You like to sew? What a queer!" "Painting is so not you!" "But you're a guy!" "You don't act like a guy!" "Why don't you act more manly?" What does it mean to be "manly"? What does it mean to be "a guy"? Girls are so scary…"_

"I ain't scared of 'em!" Kanji was pissed.

"_Men are much better,"_ Kanji's Shadow was goading him. Trying to aggravate him some more, _"They'd never say those awful, degrading things. Yes, I vastly prefer men."_

"To hell with that! What makes you think you think I can say that shit to my face?!" Kanji yelled at the Shadow.

Kanji's Shadow looked confident, _"Why, you're me, and I'm you. You do know that, don't you?"_

"No, Nuh-uh! No way! There is no way in hell that you're me!" Kanji yelled.

The Shadow started laughing as purple flames started engulfing him, _"You're me, and there is no denying it!"_

It turned into a large Shadow that was much bigger, more muscular, black and white, and covered in roses with half of a Kanji sticking out. Let's just say… that the others were freaked out by its appearance.

"Kanji-kun!" Yukiko yelled as they ran forward towards the Shadow.

"Ohh, this'll be exciting," Rion murmured. He slowly drew the blade out of the back of his waist.

"Everyone, on guard!" Teddie exclaimed as they faced the behemoth.

"Let's get ready to fuck this thing up!" Souji said.

So, the battle began…

"_I am a shadow… The true self!" _the transformed Kanji proclaimed, _"I'm just being true to myself… And that's why… I'll get rid of anything in my way." _The Shadow threw two large crosses on the ground next to him.

Yukiko looked disbelieving, "Are these Kanji-kun's true feelings?"

"This is only one side of him, we have to deal with him," Souji said.

Yosuke seemed adamant otherwise, "This isn't really him. It's just his emotions going haywire."  
The Shadow stared them down, _"This has nothing to do with you guys anymore! Didn't I say I'm gonna get rid of you?"_

"I'm afraid we can not allow you to remove us from this path," Rion stood in front of them and pointed his blade at it.

They gathered themselves to form their Personas and crushed their cards.

"Konohana Sakuya!" "Jiraiya!" "Tomoe!" "Tajikarawo!" "Sarasvati!"

"Umm… guys," Teddie looked at them, "There's two other Shadows," He pointed at the "Nice Guy and the Tough Guy."

"Let's take care of them too," Souji said.

The battle started off with the shadow using "Power Charge" and the Nice Guy using "Heat Riser". The Tough Guy would attack the group. Souji would have to push Yukiko out of the way. It would soon become Rion's job.

"You need to debuff the guy!" Rion yelled, "If you don't weaken him first, he'll slowly wipe us out, one by one."

"I got you!" Yosuke yelled, "Dekaja!"

There were seriously problems from the start of this battle. Too many of the Shadows attacks were causing far too much damage. What was worse was that some of the attacks would only heal the enemy.

"Skull Cracker!" Chie attacked the Tough Guy. All the damage she had done on it before had dissipated. "What the hell!?"

Chie tried again, "Bufu!" She fired ice at the Nice Guy, only to heal him. "Damn it! Sheesh, what's happening?"

"Konohana Sakuya, Agilao!" Flames had reached the Tough Guy, and it absorbed it as well. "Come on!" Yukiko was exasperated.

"What the hell guys!?" Yosuke yelled, "Dekaja!" He had weakened Kanji just in time as he used "Kill Rush!" on the group.

Tajikarawo, Tarunda!" Rion weakened Kanji, while dodging the Tough Guy's attack.

"Media…," Yukiko muttered. They were taking too much damage.

Souji knew he had to take control of the situation, "Yukiko, control Konohana to use Agilao on Nice Guy after your attack has been buffed. Chie, use Bufu on Tough Guy with Tomoe or attack Nice Guy on your own. Rion, protect everyone, or attack Nice Guy both with Tajikarawo or attack yourself."

"Tarukaja" was cast on Chie and Tomoe by Tajikarawo courtesy of Rion. Slowly, but surely, they made progress in attacking and damaging the shadows. Both Yukiko and Souji were a little side-tracked by casting "Media" to heal when "Rampage" was used, "Swift Strike", or "Kill Rush".

Tajikarawo was getting abused, "I'm tired of being knocked around," as Rion got up after shielding Chie.

"Hang in there!" Yukiko told him.

Through Souji's commands, repeated Bufu attacks, Agilao attacks, and many kicks, staff and sword blows; both the Tough Guy and the Nice Guy were eliminated from existence.

"One to go!" Yosuke proclaimed.

"We must now focus our attacks on the main foe," Rion said.

Souji had switched his Persona at some point to Valkyrie to cast "Rakunda!" He switched back to Sarasvati and proceeded to have everyone pound on the enemy. Souji used his sword, Rion's staff, Yosuke's knives, Yukiko's fan, and Chie's iron feet.

A combination of "Torrent Shot" and two people casting "Bufu", along with "Agilao" and "Garu" caused a large amount of damage. When Kanji attempted to level Chie, he missed and fell over.

"Aha, is this our chance?" Chie yelled to the group.

"Is it?" Yosuke asked.

"Let's just go," Chie responded.

Everyone rushed in and proceeded to beat down the Shadow. "I'm going to get you, you summa of a bitch…" was heard at some point during the attack.

Let's just say the Shadow had something to say after that, _"I've already made my decision to go through with this. Get out of my way… or I'll crush you!"_

The Kanji Shadow used the attack, "Forbidden Murmur" which poisoned Souji and Rion.

"Sensei, you're all poisoned. I'm bear-y worried for you!" Teddie exclaimed.

Souji and Rion nodded, "We need to use items to heal the poison," Souji said. Through that they were able to heal their afflictions.

They proceeded with the buffing and smashing down process of taking care of the shadow. Tajikarawo's own staff drove into Kanji's rose-covered head, while Rion's short blade hamstrung him. Souji pushed his own blade straight in, while Chie kicked and flipped.

"Keep it up!" Souji said, as he cast "Bufula!" with Sarasvati.

"Media!" Yukiko was trying to keep the group in decent shape.

The Shadow had more to say as the magic kept coming from the Personas, _"Stay out of my way! What's wrong with acting however I feel like?"_

It started casting much stronger magic instead of using weaker attacks. The "Fanatical Spark" reminded Souji of Shadow Yukiko's "Burn to Ashes".

Teddie put in his two cents, "Wow that was intense. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine!" Souji said, as Yosuke fell over from the attack, "Chie! Pick him up!" Souji remembered that Yosuke was weak to electricity. He was glad he switched to Oberon instead of keeping with Sarasvati.

Chie did pick him up as Tomoe went straight at Kanji.

"Yosuke, start guarding when he uses that attack!" Rion yelled at him.

"Okay, I hear you!" Yosuke responded.

Every time the group of them finished attacking the shadow, he followed with the same attack, "Fanatical Spark".

A short time later, after more "Agilao" and "Bufula", the Shadow continued his diatribe, _"I know you all thought I was weird. Deep down, you didn't accept me at all. No matter what, I won't lose!"_

"I think we're almost done! Let's kick his ass!" Rion yelled.

"We're getting dizzy, Rion," Souji said. They had used too much magic. Yukiko and Yosuke looked the same. Rion looked like he had taken one too many hits in the head. Plus, most of them were bleeding in multiple places.

"We have to do this!" Yukiko exclaimed.

"You're right," Souji said, "Let's finish this!"

Despite all of this, the group redoubled their efforts on beating the Shadow, even with repeated attacks of "Fanatical Spark" and "Forbidden Murmur". It was just too much "Agilao" and other elemental attacks combined with "Media" when needed. Souji finished him with a final blow with his blade and the Shadow dropped his male blades and fell to the ground in despair.

Rion was sure he might have a bruised rib, but it wouldn't be that bad. The blood from the cuts on his arms and legs were minor at worst. Souji had an interesting gash on his forearm, but nothing major. Chie had some bruises on her legs, but it was her choice to try and kick the Shadow. Yosuke was thrown by all three Shadows at one point or another, so he would definitely need to be healed by Yukiko. Yukiko was always protected by the others, so she only had a minor burn on her arm. She was just the dizziest of them all.

After the battle, the original Shadow Kanji was facedown in front of the group of the investigators. Kanji was in the middle and slowly got up…

"Dammit," he said as he slowly got up to face his Shadow.

Yukiko looked at Kanji worriedly, "Kanji-kun!"

"Wait, Yukiko! Something is wrong!" Yosuke warned her.

Rion looked at them, "It may not be as easy as we think for Kanji to accept this."

The Shadow had staggered to his feet and faced them.

Teddie was shocked, "It's still coming at us! Kanji is still rejecting it."

"With this many people watching? Who can blame him?" Souji said.

The Shadow looked at them, _"Such a passionate approach…"_

"What!?" Yosuke yelled at the Shadow.

_"I think that the four of you would make wonderful boyfriends!"_ the Shadow said in a sleazy voice.

"Stop it! You've got it all wrong," Yosuke was stuttering.

"I reject your claim," Rion said in what had to be the most boring British accent ever.

"Excuse me?" Souji said with disbelief.

Kanji looked at the Shadow, "Enough… Stop… What the hell are you blabbering about?"

The Shadow was dismayed as it whined, _"I don't care who… Won't someone, anyone, please accept me?"_

Kanji was losing it again, "Stop it!"

"_Accept me for who I am!"_ The Shadow yelled.

"Whoa! I really don't swing that way," Yosuke said. He obviously was very uncomfortable at where this was going.

Kanji was getting mad again, "I said stop it!"

"I don't want to do this again," Rion muttered. Souji was wondering if Rion was right, and if another battle was going to break out. If that happened, they'd lose.

Kanji had run up to the Shadow and punched it in the face.

"Tch, can't believe something like that is inside of me," Kanji said.

"So, he does know it's inside of him," Souji said.

"Well, that's certainly a step in the right direction," Rion shook his head.

"Kanji, you're…," Yosuke looked shocked though.

Kanji was defiant, "Yeah, I know… I've known all this time I had something like you. It ain't a matter of guys or chicks. I'm just scared shitless of being rejected. I'm a total pansy who tries to make everyone hate me."

"You're not alone, Kanji," Souji said.

Chie told him, "We're all like that."

Kanji was a little shocked at those comments but he looked at the Shadow, "C'mon, get up. Anyone who looks like me, I know they ain't so weak that they can't take a punch."

The Shadow slowly rose and got to his feet.

"I already know that you're me," Kanji said, "You're me, and I'm you, dammit."

The Shadow disappeared in purple flames and in the light above appeared a Persona of a skeleton covered humanoid person. It carried a lightning bolt and was black. Take-Mikazuchi, the god of thunder.

He fell to the ground after that, "Ngh… damn"

The five and the bear ran to Kanji and Chie worriedly called out, "Kanji-kun!"

"We need to get him out of here!" Souji said. "We need to get out of here too or a magus will kill us," he thought to himself.

"Yeah, he's been in here for too long, and he's been through a lot," Yosuke said.

"So who's taking him out?" Rion said, and they all looked at him. Rion rolled his eyes and muttered, "You have got to be shittin' me."

They slowly carried him out of the dungeon and away from the bathhouse. Souji was happy; he came out of this unscathed on both accounts.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
I am butchering dialogue, battles, and s-links to get the novel version respectable. I can make characters more cynical, mean, out of character, and amusing. My character is "special" personality-wise.

I own nothing.

Camping trip... enjoy

* * *

Rion was grumbling. He was stuck dragging Kanji out of the Sauna/Bathhouse. "No… when Yukiko was thrown in, everyone was more than ready to help her out (Teddie included), but when he's thrown in… I have to drag his huge ass out," Rion was muttering. Souji ignored this.

Luckily, Kanji was in too much of a daze to hear him. They had gotten to the entrance and plaza of the TV world and Rion dropped the lug onto the ground.

"Oww…," Kanji muttered as he landed on his tailbone. He gave Rion a death glare at the rough treatment.

Rion looked at him condescendingly; "Don't look at me like that," Rion glared back, "I had to carry you all the way out of there."

"Let's get along Rion-san, Kanji-kun," Yukiko tried to calm the situation.

"Whatever," Rion, "Let's just head out,"

"We need to go and see what he knows," Souji told the group as he headed towards the TV. He motioned towards Rion to carry him. He grinned at the half-Japanese teenager.

Rion glared at Souji, "Ohh, this has to be a conspiracy," Rion pointed at Yosuke, "Help me with him!"

"What!? Do I have to?" Yosuke exclaimed as he started to back away.

"Well, I'm not asking Chie… So get over here," Rion told him.

"You suck, you know?" Yosuke told him as they supported Kanji out through the TV.

Rion looked at Yosuke over Kanji's shoulder, "I aim to please," Rion said in a sarcastic voice.

Souji put his fingers between his nose and said, "By the way, no more comments about sucking… ever again."

Dragging Kanji slowly out of the TV was a pain and Souji and the others were waiting for him as he came out.

"Kanji-kun… Are you okay?" Yukiko asked. She was staring at the black, t-shirt wearing young man, with a black jacket over it. His blond hair was still slicked back. His face looked tired and haggard.

He still tried to look adamant and tough as he said, "It's… It's nothin'." He seemed suddenly relieved as his mind started to clear, "Whoa… Nggh. I feel great. It's like my mind's all cleared up."

Souji looked relieved, "I'm glad to hear it. It's because of the fog in that place."

Yosuke motioned to get him up, and gave Kanji a hand, which he took to get to his feet somewhat shakily. He looked side-to-side at the others.

"Hey… About what just happened…," Kanji looked nervous.

"Don't worry about it, really," Souji said, "It's nothing to lose sleep over."

Kanji got his serious look back, "Heh… Bullshit. I ain't that stupid."

Rion rolled his eyes.

Yukiko motioned to Kanji-kun, "We'll explain everything later. You need to get some rest for now."

"You are in no condition to deal with the truth of what took place in there until are at a sufficient capability to understand," Rion had a look like you are going back or else.

Yosuke had a look that screamed, "What the hell!?"

Chie looked at Kanji, "We'll be waiting for you at school."

"School…? Sure, if I ever feel like going," Kanji muttered.

Yukiko chuckled, "Well… school is kind of important for success."

"You might want to start attending," Souji said, "It will help you for understanding what's going on."

Yosuke motioned to Kanji, "I'll take this guy home."

"Finally, I don't have to do everything," Rion said. Souji chuckled. He knew another way to get under Rion's skin now.

"If anyone asks, I'll say I found him like this," Yosuke told the group.

Souji was relieved to save Kanji and get that over with. He didn't want have to worry about someone else dying. Besides, that long-nosed guy, Igor, probably wouldn't like it if he let Kanji die. "As long as I get more time to hang out with Yukiko," he thought. Those were good thoughts.

He went home with those thoughts and greeted Nanako with a friendly, "Hello, little sis!"

"Welcome home, big bro!" Nanako said. She seemed overly exuberant today as she said, "Big bro! Dad is coming home today."

Dojima came home on time today, most likely because Yosuke "found" Kanji. The three of them sat down for dinner and began eating. Dojima stopped eating for a moment to look at Souji.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Dojima started saying, "Remember that Kanji Tatsumi guy I told you about? You know, the one who went nuts on that TV special. His family's shop called in to report him missing, but now's been found. I thought I'd let you know, since you go to the same high school."

Souji responded to Dojima in what he hoped was an innocent voice, "I'm glad to hear that. It's a relieving thought that he was found."

Dojima kept looking at him, "Yeah," Dojima went back to eating for a second with the others, and then stopped before looking at Souji, "One other thing… Some people have seen you around that textile shop lately, I hear. It's not the kind of shop students normally visit. Just what kind of business do you have around there?" He was looking for an answer; an answer… that would give him something to use on Souji.

Souji was nervous, but wasn't going to take the bait.

"My friend took me there. She works at the Inn," Souji told him with what he hoped was confidence.  
"A friend…? Oh that Amagi girl? That's right; her family's inn buys their stuff wholesale… Fine."

"Yeah, that's it," Souji said. He hoped that'd be enough to get him out of the hot water.

Dojima sighed, "Just don't get yourself in over your head, okay Souji?"

Nanako looked between the two, "Are you two fighting again, Dad, big bro?"

Souji shook his head, and Dojima said, "No, we're not fighting."

It was a tense meal, and it was nice to go to bed. Besides, he wouldn't be attacked by muscular Shadows or crazy magi anymore. Unfortunately, he'd dream about them that night. "Run!" he screamed in his sleep. Thankfully before he woke up, his nightmare had turned into one where he was Yukiko's father. Now, that was awkward. "Why the hell would I be Yukiko's father?"

Souji got back to a normal routine after saving Kanji-kun as Yukiko called him. He laughed. "What a joke…," he thought as he walked to school.

The day's question required Souji to answer for Yosuke what kind of writing system the Egyptians used… The answer they were looking for were "sacred carvings" and Hosoi lectured Yosuke for needing Souji's help.

"You mean Hieroglyphics, right?" Rion asked.

"Of course," Hosoi nods.

"Smart ass," Souji thought, "He's back to his normal self at school where he thrives. When we're not saving people, he can really show off. Then again, he shows off in the battlefield." He screamed in his mind, "We can't win!!"

He spent time with Daisuke on Sunday. They hung out with Chie, Daisuke, and Kou. Since Chie kept eating and eating, they made fun of her. "How come you don't gain any weight if you eat more than all three of us combined, Chie?" Daisuke asked.

"Jerks!" Chie yelled.

Painful moments ensued.

"I can't feel anything below my waist," Kou said afterwards, "Can you?"

"…," Souji hurt too much to talk.

"I think I need to go to the hospital," Daisuke moaned.

They staggered back to their homes after eating. Souji's chances of having kids had decreased by 1000% after that meal.

The next day after school Souji listened to Yosuke mourn over Saki-senpai. It was rather repetitive after a while. "I thought we had gotten over this already…," Souji thought.

"You know, I have to do this for Saki-senpai. We're the only ones who can do this," Yosuke said.

"I know…," Souji must have said for the thousandth time. It had continued for hours.

In the evening Souji ate some sort of bean paste that turned out to be a different kind of paste that had gone old. He spent the next few hours puking his guts out. "Note to self," Souji said in front of the bathroom, "Make sure Red Bean Paste is actually Red Bean Paste."

The next day after, he cooked. He made some sort of disaster, which he ate the next day by himself and puked afterwards.

Yukiko asked if Souji wanted to do something with him. Souji was silently praising God as Yukiko asked him, and he readily accepted. "Of course I'll come with you," Souji said.

"Thanks so much," Yukiko said.

The pair had walked down to the Samegawa Flood Plains at the request of Yukiko.

"So…," Souji was wondering what was going on.

"You know how I'm not inheriting the inn, right?" Yukiko asked.

"Right…," Souji said.

He started thinking back to a few of his other meetings with the lovely black-haired girl. Well, seeing her was great…, but carrying that damned desk all the way to the Inn so she could work on job licensures wasn't.

"Carrying large stuff is what Rion's for…," Souji thought as his back broke.

Back to the present…

"Well… I tried cooking something last night… and…," she had something in her hands as they sat down on the benches.

"You want me to try it, right?" Souji asked. "Yukiko made me food. Sounds good to me." He was giddy.

"If you would… I don't think it's very good yet," Yukiko sounded nervous as she passed over her boxed lunch.

Souji nervously looked at the omelet that was in the red box. "At least it looks like an omelet," he thought.

He placed his utensil in the omelet. There was something rather hard in the middle as he stabbed it. "What the…!?" he was thinking. Regardless, Yukiko was looking at him rather expectantly, and Souji knew he had to go through with it. He picked up part of the omelet, including the hard… whatever, and placed it in his mouth.

Yukiko looked at him. "Is it okay?"

Souji couldn't swallow the thing… Whatever the hell it was… It was revolting. He was turning green. The food around it was slightly passable, but the hard part was just terrible. He barely got it down. He couldn't say anything, but he was trying not to lose what he just ate either. It wouldn't look good if he did. Yukiko would be sad.

"It isn't very good, is it?" Yukiko looked forlorn. She noticed Souji's tinge.

"It was a nice first try," Souji replied, barely keeping his food down.

At this time, Nanako had walked up to the benches and she had noticed the food in Souji's food, "Oh, did you make food? I want some!"

Souji screamed in his head for Nanako not to be poisoned.

"I'm afraid it isn't very good this time," Yukiko shook her head, "I'll have to make some for you, and give you some when it's better."

"Okay…," Nanako said cheerfully, "I have to go to Mai-chan's house."

She went off, and Yukiko said, "Thanks for doing this. I'm sorry."

He had said it wasn't a problem and when she left, he ran for a trash can.

"Dammit, I have shittiest luck with food," Souji said after leaving Yukiko.

"Hi, big bro!" Nanako said cheerfully as Souji got home.

"Hey, Nanako… can you make me some food? I haven't had anything edible since lunch yesterday," Souji groaned.

"Okay…," Nanako rushed to the kitchen. She went off to make breakfast food.

"Thank god! My slave is saving me!" Souji thought to himself as Nanako got to work on his toast and eggs.

They went shopping the next day, but not before Souji suffered through more of Yukiko's cooking. Why she got lobsters from Junes and tried to incorporate them into soup, god only knows. They got food from Junes that night, and from that he made Sweet and Sour Chicken. The best part, it was edible. Even better, he ate it with Yukiko, and she was extremely happy to eat it with him. "She's giddy," Souji smiled as she walked away for afternoon classes, "I'd work at your Inn if I can see you every day."

June 4th. It would be foggy that day. He knew he would have to watch the Midnight Channel. School was a bore as always. He went up to his room after eating dinner after watching TV with his little sis.

"The rains that have been coming in for the past two days will result in a heavy fog that will last until morning," the weather lady said.

"I know that," Souji thought, "Yukiko gave us the weather report almost daily."

When Midnight came, and the fog rolled in, the TV came on. As expected the yellow static appeared. No one appeared on the TV because Kanji had been rescued. "Well durr…," Souji said to no one in particular.

---  
In the fog, "Damn, not again!"

---

After a day or two at the boring school where he pretty much slept through or skipped class, Yukiko and Rion harped on him about that, but Souji didn't care. He was having a good time at basketball practice, however, eating sweets.

After school, on the day Kanji got better, he met them on the roof of the school while they were waiting on the north end on the plaza. Souji and Yosuke was standing on the right side, while Chie, and Yukiko where sitting on the left edge. Rion was standing behind Yukiko.

"Hi there!" Kanji said nervously.

Chie looked surprised, "Haha, where'd the manners come from?"

Kanji was indeed nervous, "Well, I didn't know you guys were my senpai."

They chuckled at his confusion, except for Mr. Unflappable. "He must have really forgotten who Yukiko was," Souji thought.

"It happens. I guess we don't appear as manly as you," Rion said. He was as tall as Kanji, not as muscular, but just as strong.

"Uhh… Thanks a bunch," Kanji said, "Though, I don't really remember what happened."

"There are some things we'd like you to tell us about," Yukiko said after looking as Souji.

"First off, who was that boy you met with?" Chie asked.

Kanji was taken aback, but answered, "I really don't know much about him. I mean, I've only met him twice."

"Well, you walked home to school with him. What did you guys talk about?" Souji inquired.

"Uh well… He just asked if like, anything different has happened lately. I dunno where my head was at. When I came to my senses, I blurted out that I wanted to see him again," Kanji answered.

"You didn't find that weird?" Souji asked.

"To a guy?" Chie said bluntly.

"Uh… I don't really get it myself," Kanji said, "I mean, girls are so loud and obnoxious, so y'know… I really don't like dealing with them. Guys are a lot more laid-back. So, I guess I started thinking. What if I'm the type who never gets interested in girls? And, I couldn't accept that, so I kept spinning around and around in my head.

"Well, I can understand about the part about feeling more relaxed around dudes," Yosuke said, "Girls are annoying."

"Yosuke!" Chie had hit him.

Souji chuckled, and Yukiko glared at him. Souji shut up, and he could swear Rion smirked, but he couldn't tell.

"How are you feeling, Kanji?" Souji inquired.

Kanji was happy, "I'm fine now. I mean, it was all in my head when you come down to it. I was the one shutting out that stuff. So, uhh… our family runs a textile shop for generations, but you already know that. My parents are kinda weird, they say "Dyes are one with the Universe," and "Cloth is alive." That's the kinda house I grew up in, so I've always been interested in sewing and stuff. But the second I say that stuff, people look at me funny. Girls look at me funny, the people in the neighborhood treat me like I'm some kind of zoo animal, so I was sick of everything. And when I got to my senses, I was running wild. Shit, what's with me today? I'm going on, and on about myself. Forget all that, I must look real lame right now."

"Don't worry, you're actually pretty cool," Souji said.

Kanji shook his head, "I doubt it…," He chuckled, "Man, I've never talked about any of this stuff before. Guess I've never had anyone to tell it to. I guess wasn't really afraid of girls, I was afraid of people in general. But all that's behind me."

Chie looked at him, "Wow, I'm surprised. You're actually a good kid."

He looked embarrassed, "Don't call me a good kid."

Rion said to him, "No need to take offense,"

"Don't get embarrassed, you're a big guy," Yosuke said.

They chuckled at the conversation, but they got serious again after that.

"Hey, is there anything you remember after you confronted us for the second time?" Souji asked.

"After you chased us away, and said you were going to take us down?" Yosuke added.

"Most of us," Rion added… and all of them looked at Rion.

"Uhh… I went home," Kanji said, thinking, "I was going to sleep it off in my room. Wait, I think someone came."

The group looked at each other, and then turned their looks to Kanji.

"To your house? Who was it?" Yosuke asked. His gaze pierced into Kanji's soul.

"Uh, well, it was just a feeling I had. I dunno if anyone actually came," Kanji said ignoring their annoyance, "Other than that, I remember a dark entrance. When I woke up, I was on the floor of that sauna place."

"A dark entrance," Yukiko was thinking to herself, "Could it have been a TV?" she asked.

"Of course it's a TV," Souji thought to himself, "What else could it be?"

"Huh? Now that you mention it, maybe so. Why do you ask?" Kanji looked at them.

"Uh, no reason, I was just wondering," Yukiko muttered.

Yosuke looked at him, "Did the police ask you anything?"

"Well, my mom had called the cops to look for me, so they questioned me for a while. I told them just what I told you and they looked at me like I was crazy," Kanji told them, "So, are you guys, like playin' detective or something?"

"If you told them the same thing, they would think you are crazy," Rion replied. Souji nodded in agreement

"Well, something like that," Chie responded.

"Anything I can do to help?" Kanji asked, "If there is some bastard who put me through this, I wanna make him pay."

"Well, you would be quite a useful addition to our investigational team," Rion said in his solemn manner.

"Seriously? Awesome! You'd make a great addition to our team," Yosuke looked happy, "Leader?"

"Of course he can join," Souji looked at him like it was obvious that he could join, "Why wouldn't we want someone who could use the powers."

Kanji looked happy and ready to smash, "Thank you, Sir. I'm ready to put my life on the line for you guys! I'll do my best."

"We'll expect 126% at all times," Souji chuckled.

"Well, if we're going to welcome aboard a new member…," Yosuke said.

"Should we take him to our special headquarters?" Yukiko looked excited.

"Are we still calling it that?" Chie asked.

"It is childish and juvenile," Rion muttered.

"What's that?" Kanji asked.

"Let's go!" Souji said.

They decided to take Kanji to Junes to explain everything that happened and to get him set up for battle. They were sitting around at the ever-expanding table and Kanji was eating a steak meal. He was ripping through it ravenously, and Chie was looking at the steak longingly like… well like a piece of meat.

Yosuke sighed, "Man, you eat a lot. Were you even listening to what we were saying?"

"I highly doubt he took in a word at all," Rion muttered.

"Most likely we'll have to say it over and over," Souji told them.

Kanji opened his mouth and tried to speak with his mouth full, "Hurr? Shurr, I was liftenning."

"Close your mouth when you speak," Souji told him.

Kanji did so, and then looked at them, "So, someone's killing people with a TV? What's he doing, beating them over the head?"

Yosuke was appalled, "No, they weren't beaten with a TV! Were you listening at all?"

"Don't worry, he'll understand once he sees the place with his own eyes," Chie said with a chuckle.

"He has already seen it," Rion said dryly.

"It did happen the exact same way as Yukiko," Souji said, "The killer kidnapped him first, then threw the said person into the TV."

Yukiko was worried, "Yeah, it's scary."

Two students were chatting amongst themselves nearby. They were Yasogami students, and looked like gossipy types.

"That show has been pretty crazy lately, yeah?"

"Yeah, I keep wondering who'll show up next."

"I knew it before he came on that he'd be the next one to appear."

"What's that dude's name? The one that used to be in the biker gang…"

The five of them beside Kanji looked worried at the first-year who was starting to steam.

Souji wondered if he should call a coroner now.

Kanji said in a raising voice, "Who did the hell you think was next?"

"Great!" Rion muttered, "Now they're going to get it."

He stood up and faced the students. The two students looked scared as Kanji advanced.

He said with subtle threatening, "His name is Kanji Tatsumi… And he wasn't in a biker gang. He's the one who beat the shit out of those leathered-up pansies. So who are you dipshits!?"

The two of them ran away with yellow streaks following their pants.

"Feh… Boring," Kanji wanted to beat them up.

"I can't stand it," Chie said in annoyance, as they ran off, "Sure, they have no idea that it's related to the murders, but still… How can they talk about their schoolmate like that?"

"If it's not happening to them…," Rion muttered as he shook his head.

"It's like onlookers at a car crash. As long as it's not to them, they are dying to see…," Yosuke looked forlorn at the situation.

"We don't look like we know who's going to be targeted next either," Souji said calmly.

Yukiko motioned, "Well, this case disproved our assumption that all of the victims are females."

Chie asked, "What was the other thing we thought they had in common?"

Yukiko continued, "People involved in the initial case, about Ms. Yamano, are their targets… How about that?"

"That is a pretty weak assumption as well, though," Rion said.

"I don't know if that's right either," Souji told them.

"Think we're wrong too?" Chie said.

Yosuke was a least a little undeterred, "I dunno. That announcer was involved with their mothers, not them."

"We don't have a reason yet on why the killer would target the children instead of them," Souji said.

Kanji looked at them, "You guys sayin' you don't have any clues? Well listen up, cause I got somethin' big."

"I'm listening to what conjectures you have come up with," Rion said.

"What's that?" Yosuke said as Kanji pulled out something from his pocket.

"When I made my comeback at school today, there was this annoying brat hanging around. Turns out he was snooping out about Senpai's and my disappearance, so I took this from him," Kanji said with confidence, "I dunno what the hell this all is though."

"And you took it anyway?" Chie said with a disapproving glance.

"It could have been something completely off-base from our investigation," Rion looked at him. There was defiance in his eyes.

Kanji gave it to Souji. He looked at it with much interest. It was a paper with several lists on it. He read the list with several TV programs on it.

"It had the dates of when Yamano and Konishi were on TV," Souji announced.

"What's with these dates? April 11th?" Yosuke looked confused.

Chie looked inspired, "Oh, they found the body on the first day school started. That would have been April 12th. The 11th is the day before that."

Yosuke looked sad, but he continued, "I know I can't forget the day Saki-senpai was found. That was April 15th. So then, what is with these dates? What does the list of the TV programs mean?"

"The days that people appeared on TV," Souji responded, "I just told you that." He looked exasperated. No wonder Yosuke was worthless.

"Yeah, there's no doubt about it," Yosuke said.

"They were interviewing Saki Konishi because she had found the first body," Rion told them.

"So, the first part, Mayumi Yamano, was the day she appeared on the TV?" Yukiko said.

"Oh, she was on," Chie said, "That was the day the affair hit the news."

Souji looked at them as Yosuke talked to Yukiko, "Hey Yukiko, didn't you get interviewed too?"

"When did that air, Yukiko?" Souji finished.

"It was when I absent from school, I believe… Um," Yukiko was thinking then turned towards Souji, "It was the day after I met you at the embankment. I had my kimono on, remember?"

"I remember, you asked me how I was doing," Souji said, "And you asked me how I was getting along with Chie, right?"

"You asked me if I getting along with Souji?" Chie looked at Yukiko inquisitively, "Did you think I was annoying him?"

"I said you were… just kidding," Souji chuckled, and Chie pretended to hit him.

I went shopping that day, so April 15th," Yukiko told the group. She seemed to have ignored Chie," And right after that, I was kidnapped."

Yosuke looked at Kanji, "Kanji, what about the television special you were on?"

Kanji was annoyed, "Oh yeah, that damn thing. My mom went apeshit on me about that."

Rion looked expectantly, "Do you remember the date you were on the television?"

"I don't remember the exact date, but it wasn't too long before I met you guys," Kanji said.

Rion thought back, "I think Chie was fascinated with the rain the day after."

"It's true, everyone was on TV before they disappeared," Yosuke said.

"They have a day or so after being on until they disappear," Souji said.

Chie looked at Yosuke, "So you think the killer is targeting people who appear on TV?"

Yukiko told them, "I was so caught up with the incidents I didn't notice at all."

"It can't be a coincidence that it keeps happening," Souji decided to say.

"Now that I think about it, after failing with Yukiko, the killer moved onto Kanji instead of trying again," Yosuke said.

"Seems unlikely that he would try to kidnap the same target twice in a row, it's too suspicious," Rion said.

"Maybe this being on TV thing is some stupid rule that the killer is following," Yosuke motioned.

"He could have targeted the same person again," Chie said.

"I believe there is a definite connection between the kidnappings and the TV broadcasts," Souji said.

"They weren't just involved on the first case. They were also shown in the mass media," Yosuke said.

"That must be it…," Chie said.

"We still need to find a logical motive for our killer. We need to decide why a killer would throw people into the TV after kidnapping them," Rion said.

"Yeah, why kill them for just being on TV?" Yosuke said, "Dammit, now that I think about it, we haven't gotten anywhere," Yosuke muttered loudly, "Why can't I be smarter?"

"It's not our fault," Souji said. He thought, "Blame your genes. You should have been born in Rion's body. Then you'd be able to fight like a master, and think like a genius."

Kanji looked at everyone, "Dude, why beat yourself up? I think you guys are awesome! I mean you guys noticed what was happening to me and even risked your own lives to stop it. That's more than enough."

Yukiko looked appreciative, "You rescued me, too, remember? We may not have solved the mystery, but we've already saved two people."

"That is true, not an easy feat by any means," Rion said.

Yosuke wasn't so confident, "That's true, but…"

"What's more, everyone's deduction that Kanji-kun might be next was right on the nose," Yukiko continued her praise.

"I know! We were so close," Chie said.

"Maybe, if we weren't chased away…," Souji muttered.

"Huh? You knew before it happened? Damn, I wish you guys had come a little earlier, then," Kanji said.

"We did," Rion said, "You chased us off remember?"

"Ohh… yeah," he chuckled.

The group began to discuss about lighter things and a good amount of them broke out into laughter.

"Well, if we know this much, I think we can outsmart the killer next time. Then it's a countdown to their arrest," Chie said.

"Let's not take out the possibility that Kanji-kun might be the last target," Yukiko said.

"That would be nice," Souji said.

"We can hope so. We thwarted him twice already. Let's hope he's learned his lesson," Yosuke said.

"You never know what's going on the mind of a hardened killer," Rion said.

"Let's just keep checking the Midnight Channel when it rains, okay?" Souji told the group. Souji highly doubted that Kanji was the last target, and he bet Rion thought the same.

Chie looked somewhat disgusted, "That reminds me, the school campout is next week. I hope it doesn't rain."

"When it's something like that, it can only get worse," Rion muttered.

"It's for both the first and second-year students, so we'll you there Kanji."

"Seriously, school huh? What a drag," Kanji muttered, not excited at all. He looked at the others, "Yo, mind if I order another grilled steak?"

"What!?" Souji yelled.

"I got to finish this one up while the next one's up on the grill. We're going dutch on the meal right?" Kanji asked.

"Oh hell no!" Souji yelled.

"Well, let's get going," Chie said, completely ignoring the others, "I think our new teammate needs to meet Mr. Bear."

Kanji was perplexed, "Huh? What's up? Who the hell is Mr. Bear?" He looked at the others, "Fine! I'll go for something cheap, like ramen. Wait, should I get the takoyaki set? Man, I can't decide."

Yukiko put it best, "None of it!"

"Let's just go!" Souji said.

"What!" Kanji looked lost at his lack of food.

The group got up as Kanji looked longingly at the grill.

"Come on, Kanji-kun!" Yukiko said, pulling at him to get up.

"I wish she would pull me around to go places, besides to eat her cooking." Souji thought. The taste of rancid omelet was still fresh in his mouth. He was daydreaming about being pulled into an alleyway, but Chie tapped his shoulder and he awoke from his happy daydream.

Ass in the TV now!" Rion pulled Kanji out of the chair and away from his steak.

"No, my steak!" Kanji whined.

"You sound like Chie," Souji muttered. He was unhappy at being dragged away from his daydream too. Kanji was the cause of his unhappiness.

The forcefully dragged Kanji to the Electronics department and went into the TV. They followed Kanji into the TV world. Teddie was waiting for the now "six" of them at the plaza.

Kanji looked at Teddie, "Now that you mention it, I kinda remember this thing. Didn't think it was a bear, though," He looked at the others, "Hey? Why is it a bear?"

"You're asking me?" Souji said, "I don't think anyone knows why it's a bear."

Teddie looked forlorn, "Me neither, I have been wondering about that too."

"It's kinda cute," Kanji told Teddie then asked him, "Mind if I… pet you?"

Teddie looked affronted, "No touching allowed, mister!"

"Unless you're Chie or Yukiko," Rion said, "Then you're allowed to touch the bear."

Souji could swear he saw Rion smile, but… he would not bet on it.

"Hey!" Chie said.

"Wha… Hey! Don't give me any lip, bear!" Kanji yelled.

Yukiko began laughing, and Kanji said, "Tch." Souji just shook his head. He didn't like starting Yukiko laughs.

He looked at her, "Uhh… by the way, I have been wondering. You were kidnapped too, right, Yukiko-senpai?" Kanji looked at Yukiko questionably

She looked at him through her red glasses with slight confusion, "Huh? Yeah, it wasn't long before you."

"So, that means you came out to everyone too?" Kanji asked.  
She was very embarrassed, "That's umm…" Souji looked at the pair… This could turn bad, quickly.

He asked, "What was it like for Senpai in there?"

"He's screwed," Rion thought waiting for the horror to happen.

Yukiko went and turned to Kanji and the resounding smack rang through the TV world.

"So violent, Yukiko," Souji chuckled. She did have a temper at times. He'd have to worry about that.

Kanji looked at her in pain, "Urgh…"

Yukiko told him with some pity in her eyes, and sarcasm, "Ohh… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you so hard."

"He deserved that," Chie was thinking.

Kanji was rubbing his jaw, "My jaw…"

Yukiko smiled, "I'll be more gentle next time."

"More… gentle?" Kanji said with a blush.

"Will you be gentler with me, Yukiko-san?" Yosuke asked her.

Another smack rang out, and she wasn't as nice about it, "Yosuke!" Chie yelled.

"Anyways," Chie recovered, looking at Kanji and Yukiko, "What a pair of dimwits, and an idiot," looking at Yosuke.

Teddie seemed oblivious, but told them, "Oh yeah! Here's a present from me, Kanji! It's to celebrate you for joining the team."

Kanji looked amused, "Ah, so these are the glasses you guys told me about."

Yukiko motioned to him, "Hurry and put them on!" Yukiko was awfully cheerful. Souji had a very bad idea about this.

Rion looked at him, "Yes, amuse us…" Rion seemed to know what was going on.

Souji looked between Yukiko, Rion, and Teddie, "What the hell is going on here? Do I even want to know?" He was thinking.

"Huh? Sure, but hang on, aren't these different from everyone else's?" Kanji asked. He put on the glasses. They were a pair with a nose piece, swirl eyes, and a large mustache to compliment it. Just like the faux pair that Yukiko tried on before they saved Kanji.

Kanji was not amused, "…."

"It looks perfect on you, Kanji-kun!" Yukiko said, breaking out in a giggling fit, "Srnk…"

"It's great!" Souji said. He was trying not to laugh. It was very unlike his quiet, yet "evil" demeanor he had around Rion.

"Hah! Damn dude, those look great on you!" Yosuke admired.

Teddie told him, "I had a normal pair for you, but Yuki-chan insisted on this one. She wouldn't budge!"

Kanji didn't pet the bear like he wanted to, he knocked it over.

"Yeah, real funny, you smartass," Kanji told him.

Teddie whined as he popped back up, "Why are you taking it out on me? Take it out on Yuki-chan!"

"Gimme that!" He took the other pair of glasses as Yukiko was still laughing.

"Please, don't," Rion muttered sarcastically. Souji knew this was going to be bad.

They were exactly like the other pair. This didn't help the laughing fit that Yukiko was having.

"….," Kanji was not amused.

"Hahahahaha," Yukiko was all but on the floor now.

Teddie told him, "You took my spare pair. You must really like those kinds of glasses."

Chie who was silently laughing as well, "Oh, my sides."

They were all in some form laughing except Kanji as he threw the wacky glasses off into the void of the TV world.

"And off they go into the abyss of hell," Rion said in his calm voice.

As the laughter subsided, Teddie said to Kanji, "This is the real one. It wasn't easy getting them to you, Kanji."

Kanji was fuming still as he yelled at Teddie, "Why the hell did you bother making a spare if it's more of that useless crap?"

They were still laughing as he put on his sunglasses. Souji was bent over, unable to control his laughter. He was a matching pair with Yukiko.

"Dammit, I'll get you guys back for this someday!" Kanji yelled.

"Ahahahaha!" Yukiko was still laughing.

"I am so scared…," Rion said. He would have to take care of the buffoons afterwards. He seemed to be the only logical person left.

After laughing at Kanji, they learned that he was in fact good at smashing things. He used desks as a weapon.

"We finally found a use for our school desks," Souji thought as one of the police-looking enemies on the first floor of the sauna was squashed by the desk.

"Why did we have to come back here?" Kanji yelled in annoyance. He outright refused to go back here until Souji dragged him here.

"We had to make sure you didn't suck," Souji told him.

"So are we not done using innuendo comments, even if we are at the same place?" Yosuke asked.

Souji shrugged, "I don't know."

Kanji rolled his eyes, "Well as long as I'm useful."

His persona, "Take-Mikazuchi" ended being a useful tool in destroying the enemies weak to lightning. The persona, like his owner, was good at smashing things too.

"Hey! New guy!" Chie yelled.

"What?" Kanji said.

"Help me, kick this guy's ass" she pointed to an enemy that was resistant to physical attacks.

He slipped on his ass after he tried to whack one with a desk he pilfered from King Moron's classroom.

"What the hell? Why did you make me do that!?" Kanji yelled.

"I guess she was trying to make you look stupid," Rion said as Yosuke's Jiraiya destroyed it with Garu.

"Idiots, quit making fun of me!" Kanji muttered.

"At least we know he can fight," Souji said as Parvati froze the enemy with "Bufula!"

Yosuke's knives went through a raven, "Did you expect anything less from a guy who destroys gangs?"

"Not really," Souji said.

They left the TV world after losing around two pounds in water weight at the sauna. They said goodbye to Teddie and were saying goodbye to each other before they left."

Make sure you go to school, Kanji," Rion told him as he left.

"Right, school," Kanji muttered.

Rion looked at him before speaking in his calm voice, "Don't make me remind you about the mandatory attendance policy."

"Oh, I hate you," Kanji yelled.

Souji had gotten back to his home and was chuckling all the way. It was nice to make fun of Kanji. They really didn't find too much out about the possible killer, but they had a few ideas. The next few days were alright. He had to help Yukiko about where the term "ham actor" came from. He also talked to her with picking out some food for cooking omelets. He prayed that it would be edible… no promises.

He ate some cereal after school the next day. He was tired of eggs and toast, so he picked up some cereal from Junes. He felt coo-coo for cocoa puffs. The next day he met up with Chie and Rion by the gates.

"I heard it was going to rain this evening, but it isn't going to last all night," Chie told Souji by the gates.

"Have you been working on the case by yourself, Souji?" Rion asked him.

"I should be thinking about it myself," Chie responded herself, "But that kind of stuff isn't my strong point."

"It isn't either. I'll need more time," He told them.

"Don't worry, we'll figure it out," Rion told the pair calmly.

"Everyone is good at some things, and weak in others," Chie said, "Personally, I'll stick to kicking things."

"As long as it isn't me you are kicking…," Rion muttered.

The three walked to the classroom. The morning went slowly, but at lunch they met over noodles. They were eating them ravenously.

"Ohh… These instant noodles hit the spot," Chie said after a gulp.

"You know, the rainy season is just about here," Yukiko mentioned.

"Great, we get to watch the Midnight Channel daily…," Rion muttered.

"Isn't a little early for that?" Yosuke asked.

"Not really," Souji said.

"It will be raining every night once it starts. When it does, like Rion said, we will have to watch the Midnight Channel every day," Yukiko said.

"Well, I didn't think about it really until you mentioned it, damn," Yosuke gestured, "And I thought you were worried about the rain because of the school campout."

"Why are you excited about that?" Chie asked.

"It's not like it is an enjoyable experience," Rion shook his head.

"That's right, it's the first time for you two," Yukiko said.

"What do you mean, not enjoyable?" Souji inquired.

Chie shook her head too, "You do know that the only reason for the school campout is to develop a love for one's hometown in young people, right?"

"Biggest bunch of BS ever," Rion muttered.

"Yeah, they tell us that up front, so?" Yosuke said.

"Well, you see, the way we supposedly develop that love is by picking up trash off the mountain," Chie looked disgusted.

Souji looked pretty desperate to get out of it, "Well, that's a waste of time."

"Picking up trash? Develop a love? That's slave labor!" Yosuke yelled.

"There are a few advantages…," Rion says to Yosuke and Souji.

"Well, the night is kinda fun. We cook our own meals with mess kits, and sleep in tents.

"Though, sleeping in tents isn't always exciting," Rion muttered, "I like more than 5 feet to myself."

Souji said, "I think this'll be a disaster."

"The five of us are in the same group," Yukiko said.

Yosuke stood up suddenly, "The same group, huh? Does that mean we sleep together at night, too?"

Souji had bad thoughts about that. Yosuke seemed to be thinking about Yukiko and Chie. Though, sharing a tent with Yukiko… now that'd be nice.

Chie seemed disgusted at the thought, "You wish! Guys and girls sleep in different tents. I'm warning you, if you leave your tent at night, you'll be expelled on the spot."

"Yeah, they are kind of hard-asses about that," Rion said.

"Great, there goes our fun," Souji chuckled.

"Souji!" Yukiko exclaimed.

"It's not like I meant it," Souji rolled his eyes. Yukiko nodded.

"Man, this gets worse and worse. I thought this was going to be fun," Yosuke sat back down.

Yukiko tried to sooth him," It's only for one night, and we disband before noon the next day. It doesn't last very long."

"Disband? Are we in the army?" Souji asked.

"Yeah, pretty much, Mooroka's," Chie said, "Oh… We did have some fun at the river before going home last year."

Souji and Yosuke's ears perked up, Rion's stayed down and his arms stayed crossed.

"Do they let you go swimming?" Yosuke asked with slight excitement.

"I think so? There's always someone who takes a dip, although we didn't," Chie told them.

"I don't why they would, though. I t would be as cold as hell frozen over," Rion muttered.

"Well… with Yosuke with us…," Souji was thinking of something in his head. They weren't necessarily thoughts to share with the girl population.

Yosuke said, "I see, so you can swim in the river."

The two girls looked confused, while Souji and Yosuke shared a slight smirk. Rion just shook his head. "I don't know what is in their head, but it's going to be a mess. Usually, it ends up being a disaster," he thought.

The next few days were pretty interesting for Souji. He made bento salad for Yukiko. She asked if he wanted to be a chef in the Inn. "Only if I get hang out in your hot springs," he thought. She was blushing.

He hung out some emo kids in the Health Association because he was forced to. He answered that the gauze can't come for two more months. They were boring and decided he would never hang out with Naoki Konishi again.

Yukiko's food was finally slightly edible. "Thank god!!!"

On the 14th, he was watching TV with Nanako when she said, "If you want you can change the channel you can change it to something else."

She looked quite complacent. Souji decided to do a magic trick where he made a rubber band move from two fingers to another. Nanako thought it was cool.

"Do it again, again! It went, like Zoom!"

She was amused, "Okay, my turn now!"

She was at least happy.

The next day, Yukiko was talking to Souji on the way to school. They were still halfway by the floodplains, so they had some time.

"School camp starts tomorrow. We'll be in the same group, but what should we be cooking for dinner?" Yukiko was wondering, "Hey, why don't we get everyone together after school, and buy the ingredients together?"

"Umm… okay," Souji responded.

"Good, otherwise I wouldn't know what to make for you and the others. I'll tell them, so why don't you come along," Yukiko answered.

They continued chatting on the way to class. Souji was a little worried. He knew about Yukiko's cooking, and he wasn't so sure about Chie's.

After school, they met at the Junes' grocery department.

"So, what are we making again?" Rion asked.

Souji and Rion were watching Chie and Yukiko pick out ingredients.

Chie said, "What do you put in curry again?"

"Oh shit," Souji said to Rion.

Rion said in his typical calm voice, "If they do not know what to put in curry, this does not bode well for us."

"Carrots, potatoes, onions… mushrooms, green peppers, and radishes?" Yukiko thought.

Chie asked, "Are radishes the same as turnips?"

Rion looked at Souji. Souji looked at Rion. They hung their heads.

They turned towards the two, Chie said, "Curry's fine, right? I mean, it's practically our national food."

"We were going back and forth between ramen and curry, but we thought ramen might not be enough for you guys," Yukiko said.

"At least ramen would be so damn easy no one could screw it up," Souji thought.

"Hmm… I wonder what kind of ingredients Yosuke likes. I get the feeling he's really picky," Chie said.

"He's on another floor; do you want me to ask him?" Yukiko asked.

"Nah, no need. Plus, he said he needed to get ready for something," Chie asked.

Yukiko was in thought, "….," She turned towards Chie, "You use potato starch for curry, right?"

Rion shuddered at the thought of the potato starch in the curry.

Chie seemed like she didn't know, "Uhh… Of course you do."

"Otherwise, the sauce won't thicken," Yukiko said.

Rion said to Souji, "Oh god…"

"I'm getting scared," Souji said.

"Then we need potato starch and some flour, too?" Yukiko asked.

Chie asked, "There are different kinds of flour. Which should we get? All-purpose? Whole-wheat?"

"Whole wheat sounds healthy," Yukiko responded, "Let's get that one, and here they are," as she grabbed it. She then turned to another section, "Chili peppers. It isn't curry if it isn't spicy."

Chie looked confused, "Well, let's just get everything that sounds right. Oh, how about some kimchi, and some ground pepper?"

Yukiko turned to another section, "There's two kinds though, black and white."

Chie looked impressed, "Whoa, way to go Yukiko. The Amagi family sure knows their stuff. Let's get both just in case."

Rion and Souji looked at each other. Their eyes looked like they wanted to skip the trip and hide in a bomb shelter.

"Oh yeah, we'll need some special ingredients too, to spice it up," Yukiko told Chie.

"Hmm… I remember seeing something on TV about that… I think it was chocolate, coffee, and yogurt? How about mint chocolate? I love that stuff," Chie responded in a long-winded comment. She then responded, "I don't like coffee that much. I drink mocha, though, so let's get that."

Yukiko asked another question, "What about some seafood? That should make the sauce taste better."

They continued getting more and more ingredients.

"I am not eating a single spoonful of that shit," Rion told Souji, "I'd rather starve."

"You'd rather incur their wrath?" Souji told him. The thought of that curry made him feel sick, "They'll force-feed you," Souji said.

"It's your funeral," Rion said.

Souji had an idea, "Can you cook?" Souji was not a great cook. He didn't trust himself to make a cake or anything.

"I'm a passable chef. I have to make my food everyday, if that's what you want to know," Rion responded.

"Can you help us fix what will be a mess?" Souji asked, "That may get you out of eating it."

"I understand, and I accept," Rion nodded.

"We'll be leaving our lives in your hands," Souji told him, "We need you to make it taste decent."

"Don't be surprised if I run off cause I can't stand the smell and lose whatever I ate before that," Rion said plainly, "I wouldn't be much help then."

"We were expecting you to help us," Souji answered.

"I will be hard pressed to help you…," Rion said, "Mint chocolate? Potato starch for a thickening agent? They want to use seafood? I swear nothing." Rion shook his head.

"You have to make it edible, I need your help here," Souji said.

"Why? Otherwise you can't eat it for Yukiko?" Rion really did smirk this time.

"Hey!" Souji said, "Why do you say that?"

"I've seen you looking at her. You've been trying her food for days. I know how Yukiko's food tastes," Rion said.

"That's why I'm asking for your help!" Souji pleaded, "You have to help me!"

"I'll see what I can do… They'll be the ones who will be actually making it, though," Rion shrugged. Souji cursed at Rion knowing. At least he wasn't too bad about it. He praised him at trying to help him.

"Yosuke doesn't know what's happening," Souji thought, "God help his soul."

They headed out of the shop carrying about 50lbs of ingredients. No one noticed Yosuke's small bag that carried two "special" items.

The next day was the first day of the Camping Trip. Chie, Rion, Yukiko, Yosuke, and Souji would all be in the same group. The amount of shit and trash they had to pull off the mountain was beyond enormous.

As Rion promised Souji, he was working with Chie and Yukiko to salvage the curry. Yosuke and Souji were waiting at the table while they worked with one of them on either side of the table.

"Ugh, picking up all that trash was murder on my back," Yosuke groaned.

Souji responded, "I need some Icy-Hot after cleaning up all of this crap."

Yosuke continued, "I can't believe someone threw away an entire bike. Dammit, people who litter should have to deal with their own garbage," Yosuke changed his mood as he saw the food being made, "Anyways, time for dinner. I'm starvin'. Dude, the girls are cooking for us. Even Rion is helping us, though it sounds like he's yelling at them."

From beyond the table, Souji heard complaints and yelling. Rion's suggestions must not be going over well.

"What the hell are you doing? Why are you adding that?" they heard a male voice saying.

"Well, we wanted to make it flavorful," a tomboyish voice responded.

He responded, "It's going to taste terrible now," he sighed, "Those flavors don't go well together. Chocolate? Are you trying to poison them?"

"Well, we already decided…," A more feminine voice said.

"No, don't turn it so fast!" Rion exclaimed. He smelled the curry and ran off, obviously sickened.

Yosuke turned back to Souji. He must have not heard, and said, "Not that I expect much out of Chie, but Yukiko's got the full tradition of the Amagi Inn behind her food."

"I don't know. Rion seemed pretty dubious," Souji replied. He looked nervous too, seeing Rion in the background.

"Don't worry, you know it's going to be out of this world!" Yosuke promised

"Don't eat it!" Souji pleaded. "If Rion can't fix it…," Souji thought to himself, "Nothing is going save us from dying here."

"No way, Souji. You just want to have it all to yourself. I know the trick you're trying to pull on me," Yosuke gestured to Souji.

"No, I'm not kidding, don't eat it. I was warned ahead of time." Souji warned him.

"Whatever, I can't wait to dig in!" Yosuke wasn't going to be deterred.

Rion had staggered back after seemingly losing his breakfast; Yukiko was looking at the steaming pile of mess supposedly called curry.

"Should we taste this?" Yukiko asked.

"You should!" Rion said, "Chefs taste their food before serving," He had an evil expression on his face. He seemed to have lost a little of his calm after witnessing this disaster and their refusal of his help, "All I'm saying is I'm not touching that. I couldn't even smell it without feeling sick."

"I'll taste it Yukiko if you taste it first," Chie told Yukiko. She was ignoring Rion. They were scared at the results.

"I told you this would happen," Rion said, "Next time I'm making the food," he muttered.

"Oh man, here it comes!" Yosuke said as Chie and Yukiko came with the plates of something that was supposed to be curry.

"I warn you now," Rion told them, "I do not take responsibility for what comes on these plates. I only tried to fix what happened as I did not purchase said ingredients or make the actual food." Souji looked scared at his comments. Rion looked at Souji and just shook his head.

Chie was worried as she set it down, "Uhh… sorry for the wait. Um… We put a lot of love into it."

"You mean a thousand of ingredients into it," Rion shook his head. He warned, "Don't eat it if you want to live!"

Yosuke too, was ignoring him, "Whoa, really? That's kinda clichéd, but still awesome."

"I'm worried about what Rion said," Souji said. He thought to himself, "Does this mean he couldn't salvage it?"

"Okay then, chow time!" Yosuke dug into the food.

He took one bite of the food, "Urggh… blahh… Arggh…" and promptly threw up the curry and fell over.

Rion shook his head, "I told you so. Headshot."

"Uhh… Hey?" Chie was looking at Yosuke's response to the food.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!" Yosuke screamed at them as he stood up. He confronted the girls, "I mean what kinda…," He was coughing all over the place as remnants of the disaster were still in his mouth.

"Curry's supposed to be really spicy or kinda mild. This just stinks!" Yosuke yelled.

"That would explain the fish," Souji thought.

"That's why they put seafood in it," Rion muttered.

"It's gritty too!" Yosuke continued yelling, "It's somehow gritty and slimy. It's got squishy parts in it as well."

"Slimy would be the yogurt…," Rion muttered.

"It's so frickin' nasty I can't even swallow it," Yosuke continued.

"Well, more for me, not…," Souji thought in his head.

Chie tried to defend herself, "Well, it just didn't mix too well. But it does offer a wide variety of textures."

Souji muttered to himself, "Textures that make you lose your lunch."

"It smells terrible too," Rion said.

"It's nauseating," Yosuke replied to all of their comments.

"C'mon, it's not that bad!" Chie said. She was flustered by now. She had failed in her meal, "That's just your opinion!"

Yosuke turned to Souij, "I'm telling you as a friend… Don't do it, I wouldn't even joke about trying that slop."

"Come on, try it for us, Souji?" Yukiko asked.

They were looking at Souji. The only reason he would dare let it touch his mouth was Yukiko. Rion put his head down. Rion had to admit. "He has a lot of balls."

He tried to eat it, but as soon as it touched his tongue… The nauseated flavors tasted wrong. He knew it wasn't edible. Rion was right. "Smart-ass," he thought of him. He couldn't even swallow it, and it came back out of his mouth and he fell over just like Yosuke.

"I told you this would happen," Rion told the girls.

The girls looked to each other with sad eyes.

They put their food away as Hanako set down with a pile of curry the size of Mt. Fuji.

Chie tried to apologize, "We're sorry…"

"Sorry," Yukiko said.

Yosuke looked hungry, "What are we going to do? We're the only group without food. I mean if it was slightly edible it would be one thing. But I'm not taking another bite of Mystery Food X!"

Rion shook his head as Chie noticed Hanako's mountain of curry.

"Something smells good," she said.

Yosuke turned toward Hanako and her mountain of food, "Hey… uh Hanako? You wouldn't happen to have any extra curry left, would you?" He was begging, "Come on, give us some! We're begging you. We're starving to death here!"

Hanako looked affronted and said in her Miss Piggy voice, "No way! I'm on a diet right now, so this is all I that I made. This has to last me."

"That's all you made? And you are on a diet?" Souji looked shocked. He thought, "What a fat ass."

"You got to be kidding me?" Rion was even laughing to himself on the inside, oblivious to his hunger pains.

"All that you made?" Chie said, "It's like a bucketful."

"I wonder if there is any way we can get something delivered here," Yosuke sighed.

"Up here?" Rion responded.

Yukiko told Yosuke, "But our cell phones don't get service up here."

"And dinnertime is almost over," Chie exclaimed.

"Alright, back to your tents! Men's tents are this way and the girls' tents are that way!" Mooroka was yelling as she said that, "Come on, people, look alive! Youngsters like yourselves should hurry up and get to bed after they eat. It's now time for us teachers to have some boo… I mean, err… off to bed! Lights out!"

"You guys are going to pay for this!" Yosuke told the girls.

The girls chuckled nervously at Yosuke's threat.

"Night…," Chie said.

The boys and girls headed off to the tents so the teachers could get drunk. Not only were Souji, Rion, and Yosuke in the tent, but Kanji had joined them. It was a very crowded tent.

"Dammit, I'm so hungry," Yosuke groaned.

"I think we all are," Rion said.

"Why are you hungry?" Kanji asked.

"Don't ask...," Souji responded.

Yosuke looked at Kanji, "How the hell did you end up here?"

Souji looked at Kanji, "I want to know too."

"My teach threatened to hold me back a year if I didn't show," Kanji explained, "And the first year's tent is all quiet like someone died."

Rion asked him, "So, you decided to come here because you thought it was livelier?"

"Yeah…," he responded.

"Well, if you were in there with them, I'm not surprised," Yosuke told Kanji.

He looked around, "Is it just you three in this tent?"

"The others called in sick," Souji said.

Yosuke added, "A hell of a smart move, if you ask me."

"So, it's okay if I hang out here?" Kanji asked.

"Stay as long as you like," Souji said, "I don't have a problem with that."

"Hey, you're a stand-up guy, Senpai. Don't worry, I won't make any trouble. They won't catch me unless we make a restless."

"Alright, you can sleep over there," Yosuke said, pointing to the far-side of the tent.

Kanji looked mad, "Dude, there's a huge rock under there. How'm I supposed to sleep? It's gonna hurt like hell."

"Pipe down; you said you were going to make any noise," Yosuke warned him.

"Yo, senpai," asking them, "Can't you go a little farther back?" Kanji asked.

"Well, I'll move a little," Rion replied. He pushed his bag a little over to the right. Souji wondered if he was going to slide off. Now that Souji thought about it, Rion was sometimes overly-nice.

"Thanks, Senpai," Kanji said.

Yosuke however… "Nope, there's a slope just past here. I'd roll down the hill in my sleep," Yosuke told Kanji.

"Big baby," Souji chuckled, "I'll budge a little too."

"Well, if you don't like it here, you can go back to the first-years tent," Yosuke told him.

Kanji asked a question, "Hey? Wasn't your teacher some guy named King Moron?"

Rion looked at him, "Yeah, so?"

"That guy stopped me outside earlier, and he pissed me off so bad I was about to lose it."

"Wait, you ran into our teacher?" Souji asked.

"He was going on, and on about when I was in Middle School, when he doesn't know anything about that. Not only that, he was bullshitting about how I would be expelled immediately if I cause any trouble. That ain't funny."

"Yeah, he has a tendency for jumping to conclusions," Souji said.

Kanji said, "Check this out, right? I heard this from a guy in my class. He said this asshole was talking shit about the two girls who died."

"Yamano, and Konishi?" Rion asked.

"King Moron was talking about Ms. Yamano and Saki-senpai?" Yosuke asked with a flair of anger in his voice.

"It was like, it's no surprise that no wonder people who are unfaithful or run away from home meet a bad end," Kanji continued, "I dunno, maybe he was exaggerating. Everyone seems to hate that son of a bitch Morooka."

"You hit it right on the head," Souji replied.

"Damn, I can just picture Morooka saying that," Yosuke said, "He never shut up about me either when I moved here. Not that I remember anything he said."

"You're on my shit list effective immediately, huh, Souji?" Rion drawled.

"Yeah," Souji laughed.

"Anyways, even if it's a little true, it still pisses me off. The shithead is a damn teacher for god's sake," Kanji told them.

"Ahh… Don't waste your energy getting worked up over that clown," Yosuke was eating something he had grabbed from Kanji's bag.

"Yeah, you got a point," Kanji said, "Wait a sec, what are you eating?"

"You got food, Yosuke?" Souji said. His stomach was grumbling. He wanted whatever Yosuke had grabbed.

"Animal crackers…," Yosuke said.

"What the! Those were mine!" Kanji yelled, "Dammit! I was so pumped about finding the penguin today!"

"Penguin?" Yosuke looked bewildered.

"What's so special about a penguin?" Souji asked.

Kanji looked affronted, "The secret animal cracker! You were eating them, and you didn't know about that?"

"Are you serious?" Yosuke looked guilty, "You shoulda told me."

"Oh well…," Kanji said.

"Uggh… This isn't gonna fill me up," Yosuke said.

"Well, you should have stopped the girls from buying that junk, Yosuke," Rion told him, "Yet, you wandered off."

"Let's just go to sleep, okay?" Yosuke muttered.

Kanji stared at him, "That's all you gotta say for you self after stealing my snacks."

All four were uncomfortably lying in the tent. It was not exactly a good arrangement for sleeping. No one was getting any sleep. After some time…

"Kanji," Yosuke looked at him, "Don't you have more space on your side?"

"Man, I can't sleep over there. My back would break," he responded.

"Right…," Rion said. Both he and Souji had budged over and Kanji was still complaining.

"Oh… Okay," Yosuke said, "Uh… Hey."

"Yeah?" Kanji asked.

"Why'd you come to this tent?" Yosuke asked

"Oh damn, he wouldn't…," Souji thought.

"Huh? I already told you," Kanji said, "Geez… What's wrong with you?"

"This is as good a time as any, so. I want you to be honest with us," Yosuke told him.

"Uh… Okay?" Kanji seemed slightly confused.

"He isn't going to ask that, is he?" Rion thought.

"Are you really… you know?" Yosuke was asking.

"Am I really what?" Kanji asked

"What I mean is, are we going to be safe alone with you?" Yosuke asked.

Kanji looked shocked, "Wha…!" He stood up, "What the hell is that supposed to mean? I already told you guys I'm not like that." Kanji lost his poise and got flustered.

Yosuke and Souji got worried at that.

Souji and Yosuke got up as Kanji confronted them. Rion just lay there, he didn't really care. He didn't want to be involved with the stupid antics of the three teenagers.

"Well then, why are you all hot and bothered by it?" Yosuke asked, "That's just more suspicious."

"Hell no!" Kanji told them, "We settled this already, Dammit. Right now, I'm… well… How do I put it?"

Yosuke looked seriously worried, "Oh god, don't trail off like that! You're freaking me out!"

"I'm trying to tell you that I have no problem being around girls now," Kanji was expressing his emotions through his left arm and a loud voice.

"Can you prove it?" Yosuke asked.

"Prove it?" Kanji looked confused.

"Why do I think this will be a bad idea?" Rion muttered as he lay there, completely undeterred by the commotion.

"Cause if you can't, we're gonna be stuck here all night, half scared to death," Yosuke was lamenting.

"Tch'… To hell with this. If that's what you really think of me, then I'm going to go into the girls' tent right now!" Kanji yelled.

"What? You're going to get expelled?" Souji looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Huh? Wait, well that's a little extreme! You don't have to go that far," Yosuke tried to reason with Kanji, "They'll expel you if they find out. Don't tell me you forgot! King Moron's got his eye on you!"

Rion smirked, "He can do what he wants, besides, and I don't think Morooka is going to be any condition to stop people." He was almost smiling. Souji did not like where this was going. If Rion was not going to stop Kanji.

"Yeah, like that'd stop a man like me!" Kanji was gesturing to Yosuke with an arm that said he would do it no matter what.

"Dude's seriously going for it. Hey man, you gotta stop him," Yosuke told Souji.

"Go get em, Tiger!" Souji told Kanji. This would be funny.

"Hell yeah!" Kanji yelled as he ran out of the tents, "To hell with King Moron! No one is stopping Kanji Tatsumi, dammit!"

"He's really doing it," Rion said. Rion rolled his eyes.

"I declare myself not responsible for anything that happens," Yosuke said.

Souji looked at everyone, "I think that covers all of us."  
---

Inside of Chie and Yukiko's tents, Hanako was snoring extremely loudly. Yukiko was curled into a ball at the other end of the tent away from Hanako, and Chie was pacing back and forth.

"Now I get why we're the only three here," Chie muttered.

Yukiko sighed, "I can't sleep."

"I'm hungry, too," Chie complained, "I should've eaten more of that curry."

Yukiko looked at her, "It might have knocked us unconscious. No wonder the others couldn't eat it."

"Sheesh, we can't sleep, we can't walk around… I wonder what Teddie is doing right now? Being alone all day is pretty rough when you think about it. You know a little while ago he…," Chie couldn't finish her sentence because of the snoring, "…. Uggh… Arggh. That does it, Yukiko. We're out of here."

"Where'd we go though? I don't think climbing down the mountain is a good idea," she said solemnly, "Do you think she'd stop snoring if I covered her nose and mouth?" Yukiko asked with a little grin on her mouth. Chie was scared.

"Yukiko, NO!" Chie exclaimed, "Ugh… I can't take it anymore!"

They heard a rustling and someone opening the tent. It was something scary.

"Who's there?!" Chie was scared.

A short time later, both Chie and Yukiko ended up leaving the girls' tents.

They fled the tents, and the boys tents felt a noise on their side.

"Hey, are you guys still up?" Chie asked.  
---

"I'm curious as to why you are here?" Rion asked, "This is the boys' side."

"Let us in!" Chie told them.

"Don't be ridiculous! If King Moron finds out, we'll all be expelled. Go back to your tents," Yosuke told the girls.

"We can't!" Chie said.

Morooka's voice rang out, "Are there any rotten apples out and about! Any indecent students out there?" He sounded tipsy. Souji was worried for all of them. They could all be expelled. Was he worried for any love makers? Then again, a chance for Yukiko in his tent.

"Hurry, get in here," Souji said.

"So, why are you two here?" Yosuke asked.

"Well, it's Kanji-kun," Yukiko told them. They looked at each other, "He's out cold."

"I don't know what happened," Chie said, "He just came right in all of a sudden, and then fainted. That's all, right, Yukiko?"

"Huh? Yeah?" Yukiko answered quickly and nervously.

"So there was no way we could sleep with him lying there, and you know, if we woke him up, he might have made a fuss. That's why we left him there," Chie explained.

"What? That makes no sense. He busted into your tent, and then suddenly fainted," Yosuke told the girls.

Rion, who was sitting off to the side took the pair of the girl over there and told them quietly where neither of the other boys could here, "It's bad to lie to us."

"We're not lying…," Chie whispered, "That's what happened, right?"

"Your expressions, the way you speak, and the previous occurrences that had happened beforehand do not make the story fit," Rion explained.

"So, what do you think happened?" Yukiko whispered.

"I think Chie used her foot when she got scared as someone burst into the tent," Rion whispered.

"Shush… don't say anything," Chie told him.

"My lips are sealed, but now you owe me twice," He muttered.

"Fine…," Chie said.

As he said that and the girls returned to their spots, Morooka's voice rang out, "Listen up! Being insolent, and being indecent are two very different things!"

"It's him, he's right outside!" Yosuke whispered. He told Souji, "Hey! Turn the light off!"

Souji hurried and shut off the light, and the tent got dark, yet King Moron was getting closer.

"Hey! Are you three in there! Answer me!" he yelled.

"We're here," Souji said.

Morooka said, "Huh? Ahh… so, you are in there. Is Hanamura already asleep?"

"Yessir! Fast asleep, sir!" Yosuke answered.

"Don't get cute, Hanamura! Shut up, and go back to sleep!" He yawned, "Uggh… I think I've had one too many. I'm so sleepy…"

He left and the lights were turned back on.

"Well, that was an unexciting adventure," Rion shook his head.

Yosuke sighed, "There goes a few years off my lifespan."

"You mean down to twenty?" Souji said.

"Shut Up!" Yosuke yelled.

"No joke, we're nearly expelled," Chie told them.

Yosuke looked at the girls, "Hey, this is you girls' fault!"

"What else were we supposed to do?" Chie yelled, "Anyways, we can't leave now. We'll sneak out before the others wake up tomorrow. Is that good enough for you?"

Souji laughed, "Well, you did want co-ed tents, Yosuke."

"What are you so mad about?" Yosuke complained.

"You better not try any funny stuff while we're asleep, is that clear?" Chie told them in explicit terms.

"Hey, we didn't say you could… Dammit, you are going to owe us for this," Yosuke was annoyed as he muttered his disapproval.

A divide was set up to separated the girls from the boys, and they spent an uneasy night with the five in the tent, Kanji with Hanako in the girls' tent. Souji was a little disappointed that there was a divide between him and Yukiko, but you can't win everything. "At least she's in the same tent," Souji thought.

The next day, the boys and girls were getting ready to clean up. Somehow, Rion got stuck up with clean-up duty and had to help pack up everything. Everyone else in the group were by the river, Yosuke was a little too excited in getting there.

"Looks like we're the only ones there," Yosuke said. He looked at Kanji, "What's wrong? Got a stomach ache?"

"No, it's just I thought I got pissed and ran out of the tent last night," Kanji told them, "It's so weird, when I woke up I was in Yosuke-senpai's tent. Was it a dream?"

Chie was nervous. She remembered what Rion said, "It was a dream, must have been a dream."

"Okay?" Kanji was confused.

Yosuke looked at the girls, "Alright, then, let's get swimming!"

"Are you seriously taking a swim? I'll pass, I'm all stiff," Kanji shook his head and passed.

"What are you looking at us for? If you guys are going for a swim, go right ahead," Chie stared back at Yosuke. Chie had a bad feeling about this. Souji looked at Yosuke. He wondered what was going on.

"You know, you two still owe us," Yosuke said.

"I think I know what he has in mind," Souji thought.

"Huh? Whoa, we are not going in there!" Chie pointed at the river, "I mean we do owe you, but… Oh yeah, we don't have our swimsuits with us. Man, of all the luck." Chie had a really bad idea.

"Yeah, it really is unfortunate," Yukiko said.

"Oh, I see how it is," Yosuke said.

"He wouldn't," Souji thought.

"We put up with your dinner, we save you from King Moron, and you won't even have some fun with us in the river," Yosuke complained.

Chie was flustered, "No, it's really too bad. It'd be no problem if I just had a swimsuit."

Yosuke pulled out two pair of swimsuits. They were two-pieces.

"Eww…," Souji thought.

"Tada, I got you covered," Yosuke said, "They're Junes-brand originals, from our brand-new line of swimwear that just came in for the summer. I had a clerk friend of mine pick them out. Pretty swanky, huh?"

"Well, if you had picked them out yourself, I'd have been scared," Souji told him. He was thinking, "If you knew their sizes." He shuddered.

"Dude, that's just wrong," Chie told him.

"Did you have those with you the whole time?" Yukiko asked.

Yosuke looked excited, "C'mon, let's all go swimming."

Chie looked at Yukiko, "What should we do, Yukiko?"

Yosuke mocked Chie in a girly voice, "It'd no problem if I just had a swimsuit."

Chie moaned, "Urgh…"

Yosuke guilt-tripped them, "You know, we were really looking forward to dinner."

It was Yukiko's turn to moan, "Ngh…"

Again, Yosuke used, "I wonder what would happened if we didn't help you last night?"

"We get it already!" Chie yelled, "You just never let things go, do you!"

"That's more like it!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"I can't believe he's doing this, but if he gets Yukiko into this," Souji thought. He felt giddy, but disgusted at the same time.

Everyone changed, except for Kanji who was stiff, and Rion who was off dealing with packing tents or whatever. Souji wondered why Rion was stuck doing this. He was missing out on some fun. At least Kanji would get to see some eye candy.

"How far off did those two go off to get changed?" Yosuke asked the others.

"Far enough so you wouldn't see," Souji told Yosuke. That would be pretty bad… for Yosuke at least.

"C'mon, let's get in," Chie's voice sounded like she wanted to get this over with.

The two girls walked up in their swimsuits. The colors of the suits somewhat matched their regular clothes and Personas: Green, yellow, and white for Chie, and Red, black, and white for Yukiko.

"Whoa… man," Yosuke was entranced.

"….," Kanji couldn't talk. He was blushing.

"Stop staring like that," Chie could feeling six eyes looking at the two of them.

"Hey!" Yukiko told them.

"You two look cute, Yukiko especially!" Souji thought. He couldn't take his eyes off of Yukiko. It wasn't like Chie didn't look cute, but Yukiko just took his breath away.

Both were blushing, Yukiko more so.

"…I," Yukiko said.

"Yosuke chose them, not us!" Chie yelled.

Yosuke looked rather happy.

"Man, this is going better than I even imagined," Yosuke smiled with happiness. He was enjoying this, "Kinda makes up for having to eat Mystery Food X last night!" When the girls looked affronted, he said, "C'mon, you have to admit I chose good suits. Those girls might be childish on the inside, but I bet they are gonna turn into some fine-looking women before too long."

Souji smiled on the inside. He imagined Yukiko in a few years. He had to stop himself, or it would be a very, very bad thing. It was already a hard process to stop himself just seeing Yukiko in a swimsuit.

"Don't you think so, Souji?" Yosuke asked.

"You have a point, Yosuke," Souij answered.

Chie looked angry, "You guys just crossed the line!"

Yukiko agreed with her, "Definitely!"

The girls huffed and took the guys by surprise. They pushed the boys over the side of the river and they fell into the icy water.

"Aggh… It's freezing. You didn't have to push us in," Yosuke shivered.

Chie said nonchalantly, "Who cares? You were going into the river regardless. They brought this on themselves. Aren't they the worst, Kanji-kun?"

Kanji was still standing off to the side, turned around.

Chie looked at him, and made a Freudian slip, "Hey, you've been awfully quiet. Are you feeling okay? Don't tell me the injuries from yesterday are still… Uhh…"

Kanji turned around, he had a nose bleed, "What?"

"Ewww!" Yukiko screamed as she pushed him into the river.

"That was close," Yukiko said.

Kanji yelled at them, "What was that for? I didn't do anything."

He sneezed.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Souji asked.

"Do you hear something?" Yukiko asked.

It was Rion returning from clean-up. His hands were dirty from folding up all of those tents. He adjusted his glasses.

"Uhh… Hi…," Rion looked at the girls, and then to the three in the river. He asked, "Umm… Why are you in swimsuits? And why are they in the river?" Pointing at Kanji, Yosuke, and Souji.

"Cause they are jerks, and we were forced to shove them in. Do you want to join them?" Yukiko looked at him with malice.

"Not really," Rion said, "I just came to warn you."

"About what?" Chie inquired. She decided not to push him in because he wasn't staring straight at her chest. Rion was looking at her face, unlike Yosuke.

"Morooka had too much to drink last night. He's throwing up in the river as we speak." The boys and the girls could hear the retching from the river.

"So that's why no else was by the river. Good thing you told us before we went in," Chie said.

"Pretty much, and that's why I got stuck cleaning up," Rion told them, "They were short one teacher."

"Senpai…," Kanji said.

Yosuke said, "Don't say it."

"Unclean, unclean!" Souji thought as he was in the shower when he got home.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
I am butchering dialogue, battles, and s-links to get the novel version respectable. I can make characters more cynical, mean, out of character, and amusing. My character is "special" personality-wise.

I own nothing. Atlus owns it.

Rise is in Inaba. Good times for Yosuke. Mr. Defective makes his return. Maru-Q it.

* * *

The Sunday after the Camping Trip was first spent by taking three more showers. Souji still felt like he just couldn't get rid of Moron's vomit. He had a terrible time at the stupid trip. He was thinking to himself, "Stupid Chie and Yukiko. They fucked up the food, came into our tent, and threw us into the damn river. If damn Moron didn't throw up, I could have swum with Yukiko. Even though she threw us in, she would have gotten in eventually." He was picturing her in that pretty little white and red two-piece… suddenly, Souji had to run back into the shower.

He decided to call Yosuke, and hang out with him. It would be something to do for the day before school. "He needs to stop whining about Saki-senpai!" he thought after another day about listening him going on and on about it.

At night, Souji went home. He was sitting down with Nanako, eating something they had made from processed crap… "I really need to start making the dinner here…," he thought. He noticed that another interview had started, or something.

"That concludes Rise Kujikawa's statement about her temporary leave of absence from the entertainment industry," the agency spokesman said, "We're short on time, so if anyone has any questions, we ask that you keep them brief."

A reporter bugged this Rise, "I'm Ishioka from Lady's View. It says here you'll be recuperating, are you facing physical problems?"

"No, my health isn't an issue," the girl said. Souji had seen her before. She was cute for sure. She had that modeled body, and red hair he wasn't sure was natural pulled into pigtails. Souji thought, "Pssh… People who try to make someone who they aren't just… meh."

"Psychological problems, then?" the reporter asked

"What?" the girl was confused. "Reporters are always a pain in the ass," Souji rolled his eyes, as he thought."

"Rumor has it that you'll be staying with your relatives, but isn't that in Inaba where the murders have been taking place?" the reporter berated her.

She seemed distressed, "Huh? Um…"

He continued, "Is it true that they run a traditional tofu shop? Will you be helping out with the family business?"

The spokesman broke it up before Rise got stressed out even more, "No more questions! This press conference is over! Clear the way!

It had erupted in chaos as it seemed everyone wanted a piece of Rise. "Well, I'll give her the innocent look, but against the natural beauty…," Souji thought. Souji had gone to la-la land.

Nanako looked at Dojima, "Is Rise-chan quitting her job on TV?"

He seemed annoyed, "Who knows… But if this is her hometown, then we'll have to deal with everyone who is trying to get a glimpse."

"I'm sure that'll suck for the police," Souji said. He had returned to reality.

"You're telling me. We have enough problems as it is," Dojima sighed.

Souji thought, "He must be stressed about the murders. Not like he can do anything about it anyways."

A Rise commercial came on TV. She was wearing a two-piece swimsuit and holding a can of soda or some sort of mysterious liquid/poison. To Souji, it looked like something Tanaka would sell. "What the hell is that stuff?" Souji wondered.

"I'm tired of diets! And enough with going to the gym. Good enough there's something even I can handle," Rise said

A voice rang out, "Quelorie Magic is made for those for those worried about their calorie intake and body fat. It'll slim you down in no time!" the voice advertised.

Dojima muttered, "Rise Kujikawa, huh? The one good thing is that we had nothing of note, and now we get all the buzz… What's going on?"

"Don't blame us, blame whoever is killing people and throwing them into TV's," Souji thought.

The next day he was walking to school when someone approached him, it was actually two people. It was Kanji and Rion, and Kanji looked tired.

"Good morning, Souji," Rion nodded in welcome.

Souji nodded back.

"Yo, Senpai," Kanji said with a yawn, "Oh… sorry, I haven't completely woken up yet."

"That's okay, I think we're all tired, except for that robot over there," Souji said, pointing to Rion.

Rion pretended to be offended, but Souji just rolled his eyes.

"Oh yeah, the Shopping District seemed different today when I was passing by," Kanji told Souji, "Like, everyone was hustling around a lot more than usual than normal. I wonder what's going on."

"Would it have anything to do with a certain idol coming to her hometown?" Rion asked.

"Uhh…," Kanji said.

"There might be a case behind it though," Souji said.

"That is true. She was on TV," Rion said, "We can not rule out that fact."

Kanji said, "You guys sound like Teddie. It didn't sound like the cops were involved in what was there though."

"They will be involved when riots break out because the paparazzi go insane when she shows her face," Rion muttered.

"Whatever… I'll just ask around school," Kanji said, looking at Rion.

The three talked about various things of interest as the reached school and entered their classrooms. Well, Rion and interesting do not really go together. Then again, maybe metaphysics and the Tokugawa Shogunate are interesting to certain people.

Before class, Kanji joined the five who were gathered around Souji's desk.

"Yo," Kanji greeted them.

"Hey, there he is," Chie greeted him, "You've been coming to school pretty often lately. What's up?"

"I was wondering about that too. I didn't get to ask about that earlier," Souji asked Kanji.

Kanji looked despondent, "It's this thing called the mandatory attendance policy."

Yosuke looked at him, "But man, looking at you reminds me of the school campout."

They looked nervous, "How so?" Rion asked. Souji guessed he meant which part of the campout.

"I thought we were all going to forget about what happened," Kanji told them.

"Oh, sorry," Yosuke said.

"Whatever," Kanji sighed, "So, did you guys see the news?"

"Rise Kujikawa…," Rion said. He pushed up his glasses and shook his head. Rion looked like he didn't want to deal with this, and Souji could relate. Another case to Souji would be disagreeable.

"News? Oh the stuff about Rise Kujikawa taking a break from showbiz?" Chie responded, "I wonder why. She was just getting popular lately."

Yosuke looked at everyone and said, "Just goes to prove that being an idol is tough work."

"I've seen her, but just how popular is she?" Souji asked. He had seen her on TV only a few times. Souji told them, "Nanako keeps it on Junes commercials 24/7"

"I saw her before she was really popular. She's really popular now," Rion mentioned to Souji. He shook his head as he said, "But… I'm not sure why she suddenly got tired all of a sudden." Rion had seen her at a concert a little over two years ago.

"Dude! What's wrong with you, Souji? She's all over the media!" Yosuke told Souji. Yosuke looked at Rion, "You saw here live!?"

"Yeah, so?" Rion responded.

"I saw the telecast last night, and her commercials, but otherwise, nope," Souji muttered.

Yosuke went on, "It hasn't been that long since her debut, but at this rate, she'll be a top-class idol in no time. To be honest, I'm a fan, too. She's such a cutie pie."

Rion shook his head in disgust, "You are creepy sometimes."

"Cutie pie? What are you, 80?" Chie looked at him funny, "But, I think she used to live here, so she must have a lot of local fans."

"Oh great, more people clamoring to get her attention," Souji sighed.

"It's going to be like hell has broken loose every single day," Rion said.

"The news said she's going to her grandmother's local tofu shop, right?" Yukiko asked, "Do they mean Marukyu?"

Yosuke looked confused, "Marukyu?"

"What the hell is a Marukyu? Is that the name of the place?" Souji asked.

"Marukyu Tofu. Our Inn was serving their tofu until recently," Yukiko told them.

"It's close enough that it'll be a bother for us if we want to get some sleep," Rion muttered, "But close enough that we can keep an eye on it if it becomes a case."

"Oh, that place in the shopping district. I pass that place all the time," Yosuke said.

"Not like you support it, with your Junes," Souji thought.

Yosuke had a revelation, "Wait, does that mean I can meet Rise if I go to her tofu shop?"

"If you can get past her hundreds of fans, and tons of reporters, Yosuke, you can," Rion said.

"Hey, I'll visit too," Souji responded.

"Man, no one listens, but I guess I'll go," Rion said. Souji could tell he could really care less.

Chie looked at them, "Hey, aren't we getting a little sidetracked from the point here?" Chie asked. She didn't want to get off the subject.

"If I'm visiting I might as well tell her about the inherent dangers with being in Inaba," Rion told them.

Yosuke looked confused at what the hell Rion was saying. Souji, however had no qualms.

"You're right!" Souji said. He would be the obvious choice to talk to Rise about the dangers involved with the kidnappings.

"Did you forget about the murders? You two said that were was a connection between that the victims might be on TV. She could be the next target," Chie told them with conviction.

"Come on, it's not like Rise just started showing up on TV recently," Yosuke said, "How could Rise be connected to the incidents so far?"

"But moving to Inaba, and showing up on TV to announce a hiatus all of a sudden?" Rion looked at the group.

"I think I know where you going with this," Souji said.

"I did some research when I was thinking about it," Yukiko said, "It seems she had no personal interaction with Ms. Yamano. They've just been on the same show once or twice."

"She's been an idol for a while now, but she's the talk of the town, thanks to the news last night," Chie said, "And she is moving here, after all."

Yosuke looked worried, "You think she'll targeted next?"

"If our assumptions are correct, yes." Souji told them.

"She fits our little pattern, and it narrows down our killer's methodology even further," Rion notified them.

Kanji looked confused, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Yosuke sighed, "Kanji-kun, listen really closely. If Rise is next, then that let's us rule out our theory that the targets have to be connected with the first case."

"That would mean that the killer's targets are people who have been recently shown on TV," Souji followed up on Yosuke's comment.

Kanji still looked kind of confused, "Huh… uhh… Yeah, okay."

"Well, now we just have to keep a close eye on everything Rise does," Yosuke said. He looked a little too happy, "Let's do it!"

Rion shook his head, "That's only a little creepy."

"Sheesh, he's all pumped up!" Chie muttered.

That day, he answered a question from Mrs. Nakayama on who said "Law is the correct judgment of the State."

He didn't know, so he asked Rion and Rion told him, "Say Socrates, Souji."

He answered with that, and got it right. He decided to hang out with Rion that day. Rion wasn't a smart-ass for once that day. They went to the Teacher's Lounge…

"What are you doing?" Souji asked as Rion picked the lock, "Why? I mean, you would never do this."

"I'm bored… Souji. I know you like to have fun. Don't you want to impress Yukiko?" Rion asked.

"Well, sure," Souji told him.

As Rion dug through the various items in the Teacher's Lounge, Souji sat on the couch. "I'm King Moron, I'm a drunken bastard, and I'm a complete loser," Souji was mocking the man.

Rion said, "I found his hair piece. Let's go!"

"It's a hair piece! You got to be shittin' me!" Souji yelled.

Rion threw it to him. They ran out of the lounge before anyone could see them leaving. "Now, let's go before someone catches us!" Rion told him.

"I can't believe we did that," Souji said as they left the school.

Rion looked at him, "Now, you'll have something to show Yukiko."

"Rion can be cooler than he looks," Souji thought as he walked home, "He isn't always such a hard-ass."

He saw a bag of horseradish, but he thought he would wait for tomorrow to eat it. It was supposed to rain tomorrow. When it did rain, he ate ramen at Aiya's. Souji felt like he could do anything. He knew that he had to watch the Midnight Channel as he went up to his bedroom. There would be no studying or reading a book tonight. That was too bad, he wanted to feel like a Man again.

As he made sure it was still raining, the yellow screen came on. It was a girl that looked somewhat like Rise in a swimsuit. It kept zooming in at her chest and thighs, which wasn't bad at all for Souji. Souji liked a program where it did that. He remembered that Yukiko's Midnight Program did that… Good Times. You couldn't see the face very well, but her hairstyle was distinctly like Rise's.

The phone rang… It was another call from Yosuke.

"Hello, did you see that?" Youske asked.

"No, I wasn't paying attention," Souji answered sarcastically, "Of course I saw it."

"What! Anyways, that was Rise for sure, Rise Kujikawa!" Yosuke was asphyxiating.

"I know it was…," Souji said

"I thought so!" Yosuke yelled.

"Well duh!" Souji said with much, much more restraint.

Yosuke calmed down ",Oh… I guess I shouldn't be so excited. There's a chance she might be kidnapped."

"Yeah, that would suck, wouldn't it," Souji said as he rolled his eyes over the phone.

"C'mon, we should go there tomorrow! What was it called again? Oh yeah, Marukyu Tofu!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"Right…," Souji said

"Dude, my heart's pounding already," Yosuke said. He was getting excited again.

"Don't get too excited," Souji tried to calm Yosuke down.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night."

The phone rang again. It was Rion. Souji sighed and thought, "Finally, a voice of reason."

"I guess we will have to visit Rise tomorrow," Rion said.

"That is the idea," Souji responded.

"It would be unfortunate if she would be kidnapped," Rion said. Souji could picture him rolling his eyes as he said it.

"I don't really feel like running through another area or dungeon," Souji muttered.

"Yeah, It would be a difficultly that could put us in danger. I would rather not deal with it," Rion continued.

"I'd rather not go in again either, Rion," Souji agreed.

"Good night, and get some rest," Rion said.

"I will, good night," Souji said.

Rion hung up.

"Yosuke was way too excited, and as typical, Rion was extremely calm," Souji thought as he went to bed. He knew he'd have to deal with going to Marukyu tomorrow. He dreamt that Yukiko was beating the hell out of Rise for coming onto Souji. It was kind of funny.

In the morning they had to listen to gossip. It was in their classroom.

"Hey, did you hear? It looks like Rise Kujikawa is really here! You know that tofu shop, Marukyu? The owners of that place have the same last name, Kujikawa!"

"Seriously! Hey, I practically live next door!"

At Souji's desk.

"I've been hearing there's a huge crowd at Marukyu," Yukiko said.

"There is one. I passed it," Rion said, "It's a mess out there."

"I'm not surprised," Chie pointed out, "But was it really her on yesterday's Midnight Channel? Didn't she seem a little different?"  
"It was her! No doubt about it!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"It definitely looked like her at least," Souji told them. "I guess…," he thought.

"Her curves, her posture, even her beautiful slim legs," Yosuke was listing her attributes. He was in a trance.

"You sound so wrong," Rion muttered. Both he and Souji rolled their eyes at him.

"What's that look for!" Chie asked. She was glaring at Yosuke as he was still in a dream trance. She punched him on the shoulder and he recoiled in pain.

Yosuke tapped Kanji on the shoulder, "Anyways, I'm positive, right?"

"Uhh… Are we going?" he asked, "I don't really care about celebrities, but it's not like I have anything better to do. Sure, I'll tag along."

"How about you, Souji?" Yosuke asked.

"Sure, I don't care…," Souji answered.

Chie looked at Yosuke, "Sorry, me and Yukiko have plans. Give us a call if anything comes up." Souji would rather have gone with Yukiko, even if Chie was along.

"Well, shall we get going? But, let's get one thing clear, we are not spectators," Yosuke told Souji, "We're investigators, got it?"

Souji nodded in agreement.

"So, I guess you just ignored me, and are obviously expecting me to come along, no?" Rion complacently asked.

"Well, yeah," Yosuke said.

"Whatever," Rion said with no emotion in his voice.

They decided to head to Marukyu tofu shop, but first… There was something much funnier to see.

"Where is my damn hair piece!?" Moron yelled.

"What? He has a hair piece?" Chie asked.

"Shush," Souji said as he pulled it out.

"No way, you got his hair piece," Yukiko whispered, "He'll expel you."

"How'd you do it?" Yosuke was extremely curious, "I had no idea. I want to know how."

"Rion found it. He broke into the Teacher's Lounge with me, found it, and stole it," Souji replied. He decided to tell the truth. He needed to give credit where it was due.

"That is a good summarization of the journey," Rion whispered.

"Don't let anyone see it, but that is so awesome!" Yosuke said, "This is so cool!"

Everyone was looking at Souji with a new sense of admiration. He felt even more courageous than before.

While they walked to Marukyu Tofu, "I'm so excited to see Risette!" Yosuke admitted, "I know it's for the investigation, but still, it's Risette!"

"Calm down," Rion said, he put his hand on Yosuke's shoulder, "You're creeping me out."

"Yeah, we need to stay focused here," Souji reminded Yosuke.

It was extremely busy around Marukyu's, and it was much more congested than usual. "Damn paparazzi!" Kanji yelled as he saw all the people crowded around, "It's been causing my mother nothing but trouble."

As they came by Marukyu's, Adachi was directing traffic. Souji wanted to break out laughing as the Defective struggled at his job.

Yosuke asked, "Huh? Umm… Mr. Defective? Did something happen?"

"Oh, it's you guys," Adachi responded. He was obviously stressed, "These gawkers keep streaming in with their cars, trying to park in the middle of the shopping district."

"Must be a pain," Souji responded. "All because of Rise?" he thought.

"Why's that?" Kanji asked.

Adachi looked bewildered, "Don't you know? Rise Kujikawa is here. Hey did you see her already? Is she there? Which is it?"

Rion looked at him and said, "So you don't know either, and you'd want to know too."

Adachi stared at him, "Well…,"

"We're asking why a plainclothes detective is here doing traffic control." Kanji was responding to Adachi's questions.

Adachi was nervous, "Oh, well… The Inaba Police Department isn't that big, and we don't have enough staff. Well, I still have work to do, so I'll see you later." He ran off quickly at the gangbuster's questions.

"Crazy loser," Rion thought.

"What a defective…," Souji muttered.

Adachi walked off to control more traffic and probably fall in front of a car while eating cabbage.

Yosuke looked at Kanji, "Dude… You managed to scare off a police defective on active duty."

"I wasn't trying to scare the guy. I was just saying what I was thinking," Kanji told him.

"That's what the scary part is," Souji said.

"It is weird for the police to be here, even for an event like this," Rion said.

"Do you think the police think Rise might be the next victim, too?" Yosuke asked.

"Well… If it was Adachi, I'd say no. If Dojima was here, I'd say yes," Rion told them how he felt.

Just then, a voice rang out from the shop. A very familiar voice to Souji.

"Speak of the devil…," Rion said.

"Alright, clear out, coming through… Hey, Adachi!" Dojima was trying to clear a path to get out of the Marukyu. As he got people to get out of the way, he noticed Adachi was gone, "Dammit, I told him not to leave his post," Dojima shook his head.

It was when he stopped thinking about Adachi and paid attention that he noticed the four of them that he really got serious.

"What are you guys doing…," Dojima was confused, "Hmm… Kanji Tatsumi? Are you friends with them?" He looked straight at Kanji.

"Like it's any of your business," he said quietly. He wasn't going to stand up to Dojima like he would to Adachi. Dojima was made of different stuff than Adachi.

"If you say so," Dojima said, "I'll ask again. What are you all doing here?"

"We came to see Rise Kujikawa. You and I saw that she was moving back to Inaba," Souji replied.

"Is that so?" Dojima answered back.

"Well if an idol's family ran a tofu store… Who wouldn't want to come check it out?" Yosuke asked, "I'm a big fan," Yosuke was rather nervous.

Rion rolled his eyes. Souji tried not to.

"….," Dojima sighed, "Fine. But, remember. She might be a celebrity, but this is her home. Try not to bother them too much."

"Of course," Souji said.

Rion nodded and pushed up his glasses.

"That cop's your uncle, eh?" Kanji asked.

"Yeah…," Souji replied.

"So, what the hell was that about? Are you guys under suspicion?" Kanji asked curiously.

"He wonders why we spend so much time at Junes, and always show up around the kidnapped," Souji replied, "Not to mention that we were arrested once because Yosuke carried weapons into the open." Yosuke looked guilty.

"It would be unacceptable to tell him about the other world," Rion told him.

"If we did, we would look even more suspicious. They'd be tailing us all the time," Yosuke said.

Kanji gestured, "You got a point there."

The people that were looking for Rise or Risette suddenly started moving around or away. They looked rather disappointed. The group took notice of this.

"Man, there's no one in there but the old lady. Risette isn't here after all."

"I heard she really is already here, but it might have been just a rumor. Well, it was fun while it lasted."

Yosuke seemed put out. Well, put out was putting it lightly. He was devastated!

"A rumor!" Yosuke exclaimed, "What, she not's here? Seriously?"

Kanji chuckled, "Hmph… You sound like the world is about to end."

"Shuddup!" Yosuke yelled at Kanji.

"The world has ended for Yosuke…," Souji thought.

Rion just chuckled inwardly.

"Anyways, now that all the people are gone, we might as well check inside. I'll buy something," Yosuke said, but with a slightly less enthusiastic voice.

"You should get some Brofu, Yosuke!" Souji told him.

"Oh yeah… I can't eat tofu," as he looked at Souji.

"So… Just get some ganmodoki," Kanji informed Yosuke.

"Ganmodoki? Is that the kind with a rice cake in it?" he asked.

Everyone else rolled their eyes. "What the hell?" Souji thought, "Rice cake!?"

"No," Rion said.

"There's no rice cakes in 'em. They're sorta like… fried tofu patties with veggies and stuff mixed in, and," Kanji explained ganmodoki to Yosuke.

"Hopeless," Souji thought, "I thought he was Japanese. I guess we really are too Americanized."

Afterwards, Yosuke gave his response, "Ohh… Okay, I think I know what you mean. I think I can eat that."

They walked into the tofu shop. Kanji, Souji, and Yosuke went up to the counter, while Rion hung out near the back with his arms folded. Rion would wait until they were sure they found the girl before we bug her to death, and Yosuke creeps her out. Souji had half a mind to do that too. He was afraid Yosuke would get more charges pressed on them.

"Let's see here…," Yosuke attempted to look like he was unsure on what he wanted in the shop. As they didn't see anyone who looked like Rise, except for a person shelving behind the counter, "Sure enough,.. The only one here is your typical old lady."

"Morons," Rion thought, "I'm sure Rise will enjoy being thought of us as a typical old lady. Not my problem though. If they'd only look closer at that person's hairstyle and color, but no one pays attention." He wanted to point at the girl in the back of the room, but he resisted. Yosuke could be so stupid.

"Man, why don't you just ask if she's in back?" Kanji told Yosuke.

"It couldn't hurt," Souji said.

"S'cuse me," Kanji asked the person behind the counter.

"That's Rise, you idiot…," Rion was thinking.

An old lady came up to them, "Yes, may I help you?"

Yosuke was shocked, "Wha… Then, who's that?"

"I'm telling you, it's Rise! Damn morons," Rion thought.

A girl in a kerchief turned around to meet them. It was obviously Rise with her flowing red hair. The same one that turned boys' eyes with her "long and luscious legs" as Yosuke called them. She didn't seem as exuberant as usual, but you could see that everyone was still shell-shocked. Rion rolled his eyes.

"… What?" she asked.

As Kanji walked up to her, she seemed uneasy. "Well, who wouldn't be uneasy when someone like Kanji walked you? Maybe… Rion," Souji thought while still thinking about Rise, "Well, she is rather cute. I like this look too. But against… Yukiko?"

"…?" She did seem nervous as Kanji approached.

"Uh… Are you Rise?" Kanji asked.

She seemed a little tired, "Yeah. So?"

Yosuke and Souji moved up to where Kanji was at Rise's answer. Souji didn't really want to bother the girl. If Rise freaked out, it would all be Yosuke's fault. If any doubts were there, they were quelled by her remark. Rion didn't move. No one knew if he even cared or gave a damn in general.

Yosuke was still in shock, "No way! Are you really Risette?" He seemed extremely excited but nervous.

"What do you want?" Rise replied. She was obviously tired of being bothered by media over the past whenever.

"Oh, leave her alone Yosuke," Rion thought.

"Huh? Oh… Sorry, um… Some tofu, please!" Yosuke responded to Rise. He had suddenly realized what Dojima had said about 5 seconds ago.

"Tofu…? Which kind?" Rise asked.

Yosuke had forgotten everything that was taught to him by Kanji in one gaze and a few words by Rise, "Huh? Which one's which again?"

"Memerized, you moron," Souji thought.

"If you're going eat it by itself, you should go with silken. Momen is better for cooking. Depends on how you use it," Rise responded.

"Um…," Yosuke was still lost. The effects of Rise had taken hold of him and shaken him like a ragdoll.

"Poor Chie…," Souji thought. He had noticed the effects of entrancement that Rise put on Yosuke.

"Psst… Kanji, order something," Yosuke whispered to Kanji.

He looked taken aback, "Wha… Why are you making me do it? You already picked ganmo a second ago." Kanji shook his head and said, "Dude here wants three ganmodoki."

"Oh, I see," Rise replied softly.

Rion had walked up before she could leave… "Can you give me a block of momen? I need to use tofu for cooking something tonight," He wasn't as affected as the others, obviously.

"I'll go get them, then," Rise said kind of quietly. Souji thought she almost sounded like Rion in her kind of tired and drawn out voice. If Rion was dead tired, that is. He wondered what Rion sounded like if he was tired. Now that he thought about it, "Maybe Rion is tired".

Yosuke looked at her, "Wow, she nothing like she seems on TV. I wonder if she's just tired."

Rion looked at him as he said, "That would certainly be a possibility. Any kind of person, celebrity, or star in general can be burnt out after a while."

"That would seem to be the case," Souji said.

"But it is really her! I'm so glad I came. Mission Comple… Wait, we haven't done what we've came for yet," Yosuke replied in a overly chipper voice.

"No, we haven't," Souji said, "And you were giggling." He thought, "Dumbass."

"I was not," Yosuke whispered. He started off to Rise, "Umm… Have you noticed anything weird lately?"

"Weird? Like stalkers?" Rise responded.

"Well, that wouldn't be new," Rion said, "We're talking about something a little different."

"Hmm… Are you guys' fans of mine?" Rise asked suspiciously.

"I don't know about all of us, but Yosuke is definitely a big fan," Souji said.

"A huge fan, well we won't go into details," Kanji said.

"You little… Why'd you let that slip?" Yosuke confronted the two.

"Her curves, her posture, even her beautiful slim legs… Ya finished checkin' em out yet, or what?" Kanji asked.

Rion shook his head, "You have to admit Yosuke, you are pretty much screwed."

"Waaah… You're doing this on purpose aren't you?" Yosuke yelled.

"Of course we are, Yosuke," Souji smiled, "You're so easy to mess with. She's such a cutie pie, huh, Yosuke."

"Why you little! I didn't say that! I didn't say any of that!" Yosuke denied all claims.

"Can we finish this now?" Rion asked. He looked impatient and he didn't have his walking stick to lean on. Souji didn't think he needed it really, or why he even needed it. But, if Rion looked impatient, Souji knew they were in trouble.

Yosuke turned back, "Maybe you know already, but it's been dangerous in Inaba lately. That's why we've been investigating some stuff."

"Oh, yeah?" Rise inquired softly.

"It's not exactly safe around here, right now," Souji said, "Do you know about the show that comes on at Midnight?"

"It isn't exactly regularly scheduled programming or anything," Yosuke added.

"The thing that was on last night? The Midnight Channel, yeah?" Rise answered.

"Oh, you know about it?" Yosuke looked surprised.

"So, you saw it last night?" Souji asked.

"I heard the rumors from some friends of mine," Rise told them, "But that girl last night wasn't me. I've never been filmed wearing that swimsuit before. And the bustline…"

"Huh?" Yosuke was certainly shocked a little.

"That would certainly put a smile on his face. It puts a smile on a guy's face to hear about girls openly talk about their bustlines," Souji thought. He got dreamy for a second… "Yukiko…"

"Mine aren't that big," she smiled a little.

"Oh yeah, I see what you mean now," Yosuke said.

"And how would you know?" Rion asked.

"Umm… No… I mean… I'm sorry," Yosuke responded, noticing his gaffe.

"Don't apologize so much...," Rise said with a smile. She was obviously used to this, "You're funny."

"Hey, she smiled," Yosuke looked happy, maybe also because he knew he was out of the hot water, at least with her. Souji had new blackmail for Chie now.

"What is that show about, anyways?" Rise asked the question.

"In actuality, we can't give you a truthful answer," Souji said.

"Well, you know there's been stuff happening, right?" Yosuke asked.

She nodded. Souji thought she might know a little, but next to nothing about the real deal of what's happening. Souji said, "We think the people who appear there are the ones who get kidnapped next."

Kanji broke in for the first time in ages, "I know this is sudden, but we're not lying."

"This is the reason for which we came," Rion answered.

"We thought you should know about it," Yosuke said.

"We wanted you to be prepared," Souji looked at her.

"I think she gets the picture," Rion muttered.

Rise said to them, "Huh… So, that wasn't a dream. I was tired yesterday, but I couldn't sleep. And it was raining, so I decided to try that rumor I'd heard about. Hmm… Alright, thanks. I'll be careful."

She prepared their tofu and handed it to them after placing it in separate bags.

"Here you go, three ganmo. That'll be 600 yen," She told Kanji, Yosuke, and Souji. To Rion, she said, "Momen, 400 yen. There's extra tofu in there for everyone… A little thank you for worrying about me."

"Whoa! Seriously? Thanks!" Yosuke said.

"Yosuke-senpai, you can't eat tofu, right? Want me to take yours?" Kanji asked.

"Hell no! I always eat what people give me," Yosuke retorted.

Rion shook his head, "Ignore them please," he told Rise.

While the boys were heading home, Rise was being grilled by Dojima and the slave, Adachi.

"Thank you very much. Your receipt's in the bag," Rise said to the pair.

Adachi said to her, "Seems like the crowds are thinning out, so we'll be leaving now. If it gets rowdy again, just give us a call at the station."

"Okay, sure," Rise replied.

Dojima wasn't quite satisfied, "Uh, hang on a second. Sorry, but there's some things I would like to ask you," She pretended to look somewhat confused, but he went on, "You do know that there have been multiple violent cases around here, right? Have you seen anyone suspicious around?"

She just said, "Not really… It's been like always."

Dojima went forwards after not really believing her story, "Like always… Well, you're an idol, so I imagine you deal with fans, paparazzi, and stalkers quite often. What made you take a break from showbiz?"

"Does it really matter?" Rise seemed resilient not to answer that one, "I just needed a rest."

Dojima asked, "And have you registered for a school yet?"

"I'm planning on going to Yasogami High. It was the closest." It was stated frankly.

Dojima stated, "I don't mean to alarm you, but… You do have some things in common with the recent victims. That's why well…"

Rise butted in, "I might be kidnapped, right? I've been told that before. Don't worry, I'll be careful."

They looked surprised, both Adachi and Dojima at her statement. They did not expect her to know that.

"Huh…? Someone told you already?" Adachi asked.

"It was four guys… They were wearing uniforms, so I think they were high school students," Rise answered.

Dojima looked at her, "Did one of them happen to look… How do I put it… Did he look something like a gang member?"

She nodded and Adachi said to Dojima, "Wait, you think she's talking about your nephew, and his friends?"

Dojima and Adachi asked Rise about a few more things and then left Rise alone, thankfully for the idol.

They were still in the tofu store as the partners conversed to each other.

"…," Dojima was thinking as he said, "Something smells here, and it isn't your cabbage. The recent disappearances… Between those and the two homicides, there's too many questions and no answers. To tell the truth, I followed my detective's intuition and came here to warn her. How could high school kids who know less than we do beat us to the punch? Were they just making up an excuse to talk a famous celebrity? Or …," He was still thinking.

"Sir?" Adachi was asking.

"Yasogami High…," Dojima said, "The second victim, Saki Konishi, and the two other students who were missing for a while…"

"I guess the investigation of the ones involved with the school hasn't turned anything up either… Aren't we going to be in trouble if this keeps up? The prefectural police will be coming soon…," Adachi was rambling.

Dojima cut him off angrily, "They're the least of your worries! Keep your head in the game!"

It was dinner at the Dojima household. There was tofu up to the ceiling. "There is so much tofu…," Souji thought, "Dojima must have bought some too. That can't be good. He probably suspects me"

"We sure have a lot of tofu," Nanako said.

"Yeah, it tastes great," Dojima said in a very complacent tone. It was much worse than Rion when he was displeased.

"Oh shit, I don't like the tone of that voice," Souji thought.

"You visited Rise Kujikawa today. What did you talk about?" Dojima asked.

"Nothing, really…," Souji said, "We just talked, and got tofu."

"Nothing, you say," Dojima said, "Well, I want you to know about the cases. This is a job for the police," He sighed, "I shouldn't have brought this up."

Nanako seemed oblivious, "You guys met Rise-chan?"

"Yeah…," Dojima said with a sigh.

Souji nodded, "We did."

"Are you… fighting again?" Nanako asked. She looked sad.

Dojima tried to calm her down, "Of course not… Here, hurry and finish your dinner."

It was extremely tense throughout the night. Souji knew he would have to watch the Midnight Channel again because it was raining. Even if Rise said it wasn't her, he needed confirmation. He had an inking that it was actually her. "Not her bustlines. That's amusing. It sure made Yosuke go crazy. I think Rion will even make fun of him for that. Even though Yosuke has second thoughts about Kanji, I believe him. I do wonder… when is the last time Rion has taken interest in someone? I'll have to ask him. He freaked out about the kid Kanji was with as much as Kanji had, though it might have been for something completely different. Anyways, I should ask him about Rise…," Souji had a lot of thoughts on his mind as he waited for the yellow screen.

The person on the yellow screen was clearly Rise Kujikawa, and she was waving at the screen.

She was still wearing that swimsuit, and it emphasized her chest and thighs even more this time. Yosuke called again and boy was he excited. Souji just sighed when he saw his number on the phone.

"Hey! We were right about it being Rise Kujikawa!" Yosuke nearly screamed in glee.

"I guess we were," Souji responded.

"The one on tonight seemed a lot creepier than the real Rise, but you could see her face," Yosuke said.

"Yeah, it was like they were trying to make her a pin-up," Souji said.

"Should we get together tomorrow?" Yosuke asked.

"Yes, as soon as possible," Souji said.

They hung up. Souji almost wished that Rion had called instead. He could have used someone who would jump around for joy when they called.

They decided to meet at Junes in their "headquarters" after school.

Yosuke started the conversation with his usual, I'm playing second banana, but I never shut up attitude, "So, on the Midnight Channel last night… That had to be Rise Kujikawa. It even showed her face."

"Even with the supposed miscalculations that Rise told us about, it is hard to rule out that is in fact, Rise," Rion said. Souji listened to Rion. He might have been a smart-ass, but he was one who was right.

"So now we know one more thing. The ones that the culprit's are targeting are…," Yukiko was talking.

"They were broadcasted on TV before appearing on Midnight Channel and living or coming to Inaba," Souji replied.

"Exactly, so we can rule out the assumption that all of victims are related to the first victim, Ms. Yamano," Yosuke said, "I took a peek this morning, and she was still at her shop."

"Well, that was still totally creepy," Souji said.

"So you don't believe that the Midnight Channel show will appear until our victim is thrown into the TV?" Rion told them.

They nodded in agreement with him.

"Teddie said before it might be the victim's own creation upon entering the world," Yukiko said, "I didn't understand it at all at first, but now I feel like it may be true. The one that appears on TV is your other self. Maybe the victim's true feelings are shown unconsciously."

"Who knows? It may be even more complex than that," Souji said.

"Do you think so?" Yosuke asked.

"I'd believe it," Rion said. He pushed his glasses up with his pointer finger. Souji knew it had to be a nervous twitch.

"But… We see them on the Midnight Channel before they disappear. You know, when it's still really fuzzy and you can't tell who it is. How do you explain that part?" Chie asked.

"It always happens before the person disappears, like an advance notice," Yosuke explained.

"Or like a ransom note. But who are they announcing it to? And for what?" Chie asked more questions. She tapped her foot on the ground in annoyance.

"I dunno, ask the killer. There's a bunch of stuff we still don't understand," Yosuke was confused.

"We can't rule out the fact that the weave behind this is far beyond what we already know," Rion explained, "It may be a warning, but could be something far more complex than a simple warning." "Yet, who would the warning be for? What if…," Rion was talking softly to himself.

Souji shook his head, "I am not sure…"

"Is it possible that we see those images for the same reasons?" Yukiko asked.

Chie asked, "Huh? What do you mean?"

"If the Midnight Channel shows the victim's true feelings… maybe it does the same for the culprit," Yukiko conjectured, "Maybe what we are seeing is the culprit's true intentions."

"Then, it would have to be far more complex than that," Rion butted in, "Why include only two people's…," He went back into thought. "If it were the culprit's true intentions… It would be very complex and he would have to hold grudges or reasons, which would not make viable sense, or something far more intricate."

"I guess it's a possibility, Yukiko. I'll let Rion work on his theory till he can figure it out." Yosuke said, "The killer can throw people into the TV after all, which means they must have the same power we do."

"So, they could possibly have a Persona," Souji said.

"That's true, and scary," Chie replied, "So when the killer thinks, I'm going to attack someone now, that's what we see them on the TV."

"I don't know about that," Yukiko said, "Complexity is the issue, like Rion was saying."

Yosuke looked and said, "Well if we're gonna go that far with it, we might as well say that's the basis for that entire world."

"The TV world, the opposite of our own, and the reflection of our personality," Souji muttered.

"Like it's the mix of the minds of the victim and the killer… or maybe everyone's," Yosuke said.

"Yes, everyone's minds…," Rion thought, "That might work… The theory behind that would be extremely hard to work out though.

"It definitely could," Souji said.

"As usual, nothing makes sense to me," Chie said with a sigh, "Hey, Kanji-kun, you still with us? You haven't said a word yet."

"Whaa… Well, umm…," Kanji was sleeping.

"You weren't sleeping, were you?" Chie was annoyed.

"Of course not, I was lost in thought," Kanji said, "Yes, lost in thought!"

Chie sighed, "I wish I knew what the world was all about. Teddie's explanations have so many maybe's in them that I don't understand the first thing about it."

"What can you say? It's not exactly the easiest place to understand," Souji soothed the situation.

Yukiko looked at them, "Why would the culprit throw them into the TV in the first place?"

"They have to know at this point that people die when thrown in the TV. It could only be for a chance to kill them," Souji explained.

"A TV is a good way to do that," Yosuke said, "The police can't prove anything about the crime if the killer threw someone in the TV."

Kanji finally talked, "Murder, huh? So the killer's got a grudge against certain people? Well there's a shitload of people who've got my number."

"Yet, Yukiko, and now Rise? Maybe to stalk Rise, not kill her," Rion shook his head, "Unless it's getting rid of competition, but it'd be taking it a little far."

"Anyone hate you enough Yukiko-senpai that they would try and get rid of you?" Kanji asked.

"No," Yukiko said frankly.

Chie looked at her and said slowly, "Uh, Yukiko… There's always that slight chance and you just don't realize it… Haha."

"There are no common grudges in this case though," Souji said, "I can't tell at this point why."

"Well, the good thing is, we have another shot of getting ahead of the killer. We can leave that motive aside for now," Yosuke told them, "Once we catch 'em. We'll make 'em talk. The only thing we can be sure of right now is that Rise is in danger."

Chie looked happy, "Wait… We get to do another stakeout?"

"Yeah, we get to catch them this time," Souji said.

As they left, Souji asked Rion something.

"What in the world were you talking about?" Souji asked.

"As Yosuke said, the minds interwoven in the pattern of why the TV shows what it shows may be far more complex than it seems. I want to find why it does so, and how it does so," Rion continued, "Furthermore, the yellow screen may even be far more complex than a ransom note. As to whom it shows it for, and what it means for which person. We use it, but others may see it for other reasons. Others see it as a soul mate, but who else may interpret it as something else?"

"I'm smart, but I'll leave you to that for now," Souji said. Souji thought about it. It made sense in a way, but he thought he'd need some more ramen before he got the whole picture. "That's why Rion is here…," Souji muttered.

---  
So, they went to Marukyu Tofu for the stakeout, but first they went to Shiroku to get the supplies to get ready for their stakeout. They were scattered around Shiroku, trying to decide what foodstuffs to get so they could catch the murderer.

"We gotta go with donuts and milk," Chie said.

"What are we, cops?" Souji asked.

"Uhh…," Chie wasn't sure how to answer.

"Hey… There's no better meal than that for a man on a stakeout," Yosuke told Chie. He then said, "Oh, and throw in some disposable diapers."

"Why?" Rion looked at him.

She exclaimed, "For what? They don't even sell those there."

"What have 'em at Junes," Yosuke said.

"This isn't Junes, Yosuke," Souji said, "Are we going to be there for two days?" He shuddered at the thought of using disposable diapers. He believed the others did too.

Chie gave Yosuke the look, "Too much information."

Kanji had just walked up to the five of them who were discussing those disposable diapers.

"You guys finished yet? Let's hurry up and get going," Kanji told them.

They were paying for their food and thankfully, no disposable diapers when Adachi, the defective, spotted them while he was entering. When he noticed them, he pretended not to and turned around. They noticed the defective, and looked straight at his back.

"What are you doing here?" Souji asked. "What is Mr. Defective doing here!? If my uncle sent him…," he thought.

Adachi looked nervous, "Oh, uh… Well… I'm doing legwork." He looked down and muttered to himself, "Ugh, what did I do to deserve babysitting detail?" When Yosuke looked at him funny, he said, "I mean it's nothing major. It's not like Dojima-san ordered me here."

"So, he did order you here," Souji thought. He shook his head, "Well… he knew we talked to Rise."

"So what are you kids up to? Buying snacks?" Adachi asked. They all knew why he was here. It was rather evident on his faces.

Obviously, not on one of them…

"We were just about to head over to the tofu shop to see Rise-chan," Yosuke told the bumbling defective.

"Oh… I see," Adachi said. He was awfully quiet in his tone of voice. He suddenly got more exuberant when he said, "Hey! I'm on my way there too!"

Chie looked at him, "Oh, then why don't we go there together?" She looked at the others expectantly, "C'mon, he's a detective on active duty. Not a bad guy to have around."

"He'll find a way to screw it up," Souji told Rion, "He's a defective!"

Rion nodded in agreement.

Adachi looked puzzled as they headed over to Rise's tofu store. He looked nervous.

When they got there, they took their respective positions. Yukiko and Chie were talking outside the tofu shop and Kanji, Yosuke, and Souji were pacing across the road; Rion was standing outside the door with his arms crossed. Rion did seem to scare people away though just as well as Kanji would. As the three stopped momentarily, Yosuke got angry. "Don't stop! The culprit might get suspicious!"

Kanji was annoyed, "But, we've walked past here like a thousand times already."

"It does seem rather futile to do the same thing over and over, Yosuke," Souji said.

It was at this point that Adachi had walked out of the tofu shop.

"Come on out, you bastard! We're ready for you!" he sneered.

"Well, that was commanding," Rion muttered.

Yukiko had noticed something and pointed, "Oh… Look!"

They all looked over by where she was looking and pointing. It was off to the side and at a telephone pole.

There was a man with a purple backpack, wearing blue jeans, and an orange sweatshirt climbing the telephone pole to try to get a look at Risette. He was making slow progress because he kept slipping on the damn thing.

"Who's there?" Adachi yelled.

The man noticed the detective and the others and slid down the pole as fast as he could. The whatever he was, then started running away from the seven of them.

"He's getting away!" Souji said, "Go catch him, Rion."

"Fine…," Rion started sprinting, and he soon blazed past the rest of the group to get to the culprit.

"Get back here!" Kanji yelled as he chased them.

Everyone joined in the chase with Rion in the lead.

"Stop running, dammit!" Kanji commanded as the chase continued. Rion was gaining ground on the man and so were the others.

Cars and larger vehicles were passing by as they chased the man. Rion slowed down for a second to look and then kept up the chase.

The man was scared as he passed the gas station and was now near the street. He nervously said, "Don't come near me!"

Kanji wasn't going to take it, "Shaddup! What kinda idiot would listen to…?"

"I'll do it, you know. What are you going to do if I get run over!?" the man yelled.

While the others were confronting the man, Rion was slowly flanking the man from the side in a way no one could see him. He was currently just past the pumps at Moei.

"What!?" Yosuke asked. This was getting out of hand. He didn't know that Rion was circling behind the man.

"No!" Adachi didn't want this to get out of hand either. He was nervous, "If the suspect gets injured, the police will be held responsible. They'll get really angry, and… Umm…"

"I'll do it, I swear! So… Get out of here, and stop chasing me!" The man was serious.

Hey, what should we do?" Yosuke asked.

"Umm… We need to take him down, but if we push him into the cars…," Souji said, "Wait a minute," He saw Rion. "We need to distract him for Rion," Souji told the others quietly.

"Okay, on my mark!" Yosuke said. At the exact moment, he yelled at the backpacked man to distract him, "Look over there! A martian!"

As the man looked over, Rion came streaming from the side as Kanji and Yosuke struck from the front. Rion's body collided with the man at the legs and waist as Kanji and Yosuke struck him at the waist and chest.

"Ack…," the man said as he hit the ground.

The man was encircled by the group on the other side of the gas station as he was brought to his feet. Yosuke and Kanji was glaring into his soul. Rion took a good look at him, and suddenly rolled his eyes.

"How dare you assault an ordinary citizen like that?" He pointed at Rion and the others.

"Shut the hell up, murderer!" Kanji yelled, "We're taking your punk ass in!"

The man was confused, "What? Time out! What do you mean, Murderer?"

"It's no use playing dumb!" Chie exclaimed.

"Wait a second!" the man tried to explain, "I just really like Risette, so I wanted to take a peek into her room. Look, see! All, I've got on me is a bunch of cameras."

"Great, we've caught a damn pervert," Rion muttered, "Waste of time."

Souji suddenly realized something, "So that's why Rion rolled his eyes…"

Adachi wasn't listening, "Yep, you're the culprit alright. No two ways about it. Alright, I'll take it from here," He pulled out his badge and told the man, "We'll hear your story down at the station. Oh, how I've waited to use that line."

"No one ever listens to me…," Rion thought.

"Please, let me go! I haven't done anything wrong," the man said, "I know for a fact it is not a crime in this country to take secret pictures."

"You're at least a pervert," Rion thought.

Adachi butted in, "Hey, don't you understand what's happening here? You're under suspicion of murder. Come with me! We'll talk about this later!"

"This is screwy," Souji thought, "This is taking far too long."

The man was cuffed and was going to be taken away by Adachi.

"Wow that went better than I thought. What a coup!" Adachi told them, "I gotta thank you guys for all the help you've been. Well done!"

"Oh… sure!" Yosuke said happily.

"But you really should stop getting involved in this stuff. It's dangerous. I know Dojima-san was worried sick," He looked at the cuffed man and said, "C'mon, let's go!"

The man looked worried as they walked away.

"Is it really over?" Yosuke asked.

"I think the rest is up to the cops," Kanji said.

"Looks like the killer was a pervert, just like we thought," Chie said, "Wait, does that mean the case is closed? Seriously? Awesome!"

"In actuality, I highly doubt that the correct suspect was captured. We should check on Rise because, I for one, am not convinced," Rion admitted freely.

At that, they walked back from the gas station to the tofu shop.

"Well, if we have caught the killer, we should let Rise know," Yosuke said.

Yosuke went into the shop to check on his favorite singer, idol, and model.

"Any chance to see Rise, and her legs, he goes to see her," Souji chuckled.

"Of course," Chie muttered kind of sadly. Souji definitely noticed that.

Rise's grandmother came out to meet them. Souji did not see Rise.

"Oh, hello. Would you like some tofu?" she asked.

"Oh, hello, Umm…," Yosuke wanted to look past the grandmother.

"Oh, did you come to see Rise?" the grandmother asked, "She seems to have gone out, unfortunately."

"Oh shit," Rion thought, "I knew this was the wrong guy."

"Huh? But wasn't she just here?" Yosuke asked.

"We captured the wrong guy," Souji thought.

The grandmother told them, "She does that sometimes. She'll just wander off without a word. You must forgive her. She's quite worn out, in a lot of ways."

"She left, without saying anything?" Yosuke asked worriedly.

"Sounds like she was taken away," Souji said.

"C'mon, you worry too much. She must have just stepped out," Adachi told them to calm the group down, "I mean, we've caught the guy."

"What are you talking about?" the man in cuffs said.

"We'll discuss it later," Adachi said seriously, "If you'll excuse me, I've got to take this guy in for questioning."

"Quit wasting our time," Rion thought, "That detective could not catch a cold."

"Man, I can't wait to see the look on Dojima-san's face," Adachi said with glee.

Yukiko looked worried, "She left without saying anything. Does that mean…"

"I think she was kidnapped," Souji said, "We should look for her."

"She couldn't have gone too far!" Yosuke was panicking.

"Yeah, I agree," Chie nodded.

"Well… in any case, we need to hurry. Adachi did waste a lot of time by rambling," Rion said, "I'll grab my motorcycle and see if I can find her."

They all started searching for Rise in the surrounding area as Rion grabbed his keys and went screeching off on his black sport bike.

They returned a short while later, none of them with Rise.

"I can't find her anywhere. What about you guys?" Chie asked.

The rest shook their heads as Yukiko told them, "None of the neighbors have seen her. Maybe we're just not looking in the right places. But where could she have gone to?"

Souji replied, "How about a TV?" None of them got his sarcasm.

"Dammit, this can't be good. I hope I'm wrong," Yosuke said.

Kanji tried to remedy it, "Well, we did everything we can. No use griping about it now. The weatherman said it's gonna rain tonight, so let's just keep our fingers crossed and tune in."

"Let's make certain that no one misses it," Souji told it.

When he returned he got his usual, "Welcome home, big bro," from Nanako. He was starting to really appreciate it. "It's making me feel good," Souji thought, "Too bad I have to watch the Midnight Channel. I bet Rise's is going to be crazy. At least she's cute." It wasn't much solace right now. Souji headed upstairs after eating a flaming bag of wasabi to watch the Channel. It was still raining when the clock hit midnight and the screen wasn't yellow.

A vivid screen, a purple background, and Rise walked into the picture. She was wearing the "swimsuit" she said she had never worn before. She started talking to everyone and was looking seductive. Seductive… just like the yellow screen was showing her before.

She was waving around and pushing her fingers around and her legs were spread across as she stood.

"Maru-Q! Push Risette! Good evening, good evening! I'm Rise Kujikawa! This spring, one young girl levels up to be a high school idol… Yay! So today, I'm gonna celebrate by pushing the limits of Standards & Practices. Does everybody know what time it is? Showtime! Show what, huh? Hmhmhm… Everything!" Rise's voice had jumped from excited to happy to soft and secretive. Secretive and seductive, "Ooh, how embarrassing! Is this too hot for TV? Well, if a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing all the way. I'm gonna bare it all for you!" She had run off, turned around, and gotten jumpy, "Heehee… Stay tuned!"

"What the fuck!?" Souji said to himself. He hoped Nanako hadn't heard his voice, or had seen the show by mistake. If she saw this show, that'd be a disaster. If she had seen any of the shows, any of them would have scarred her for life.

Yosuke called him. He was probably freaking out by what he saw.

"Hey, did you see Risette on TV?" Yosuke asked half in shock, half in creepy excitement.

"I did. It was a disturbing show," Souji answered.

"Is she serious about baring it all?" Yosuke asked.

"We have to take it like she is," Souji said.

"Is it me, or are the shows getting crazier and crazier?" Yosuke asked.

"The shows are getting out of hand, but we do need you to calm down," Souji told him.

"You're right; I'm starting to get the hang of this. Her Shadow self is probably doing whatever it wants to right now," Yosuke calmed down.

"I know, but it couldn't be helped," Souji agreed with Yosuke.

"But man… We couldn't prevent the kidnapping this time either… even when we knew who the target would be," Yosuke said forlornly.

"I know, this makes twice in a row we've been unsuccessful. This time we were much closer," Souji shook his head as he said that.

"That detective from this afternoon was no help at all. I guess we will have to do everything ourselves," Yosuke said.

"Don't we always?" Souji asked.

"Anyways, see you tomorrow," Yosuke said.

"Goodbye," Souji responded.

Yosuke hung up.

Rion called after that. Souji expected this call.

"Looks like we have another problem on our hands and this one is much worse," Rion said.

"Yeah, even if we succeed it could be messy," Souji said.

"Well, we will just have to use your gung-ho mentality to hurry it along," Rion told him.

"Of course," Souji said.

"Yosuke will be disappointed," Rion said.

"I'm sure he will be. How about you?" asked Souji.

"We need to save her, but how we save her, and how fast we do so is completely up to the person in charge," Rion seemingly shrugged over the phone.

Souji rolled his eyes and thought, "He's so damn righteous." "Right, so you were right on having the wrong guy," Souji confirmed with Rion.

"Unfortunately, that seems to be the case. I would rather have preferred that it was the correct guy, but it obvious the criminal was not apprehended. He would not appear in plain sight, like so. We will have to figure something out," Rion said. Souji could understand. He would rather not have to go after another kidnapped person.

"Meeting tomorrow on how save Rise will be our first priority," Souji told him.

"True. Then I will meet you tomorrow. After we save her, or if he or she is there at the scene; we can worry about our killer/kidnapper," Rion finished.

Rion hung up and Souji went to bed thinking on how they save Rise. It was a nice dream though. "Baring it all, huh." I can see why Yosuke would like that."

School was a boring affair. No one was looking forward to school, and they headed to the TV world after that. Teddie was facing away from them as they entered it, and looked troubled.

"Hey Teddie, you okay?" Chie asked.

"I wasn't crying." Teddie responded. Teddie was sniffling.

"What?" Souji raised an eyebrow.

"Everyone was having fun out there. You forgot about me. I was abandoned," Teddie moaned as he fell to the floor.

"No, we would never do that," Chie tried to calm him down.

Yukiko tried to do the same, "I'm sorry. Were you lonely?"

"I was bored. It made me all listless," Teddie replied, "I'm a useless bear. I don't know what I am. I couldn't figure it out. No one would come visit me. Then I thought I heard voices from your world. They were all having so much fun. I was so lonely that I tried to cry. But I couldn't…"

"Well, you are hollow inside," Yosuke said.

"That's pretty cruel, Yosuke," Souji responded as he tapped him on the head.

"Shut up! Quit saying I'm hollow!" Teddie yelled.

Yosuke yelled back, "Don't snap at me. This is your world! You're the one who said you just wanted to live here peacefully and made us try and find the culprit."

Chie walked forward, "C'mon, I'm sure Teddie is just tired from thinking so much, right?"

Teddie walked towards the railing, still sad and said, "When I'm alone, I think too much. It makes me even lonelier. I was so sad I thought my chest would burst and cotton would fly out."

Chie and Yukiko went and rubbed the bear to make him feel better.

He turned around and said sadly, "Can I try scoring with you two someday?"

"Uhh… not if I can help it," Souji thought, "I'd beat you down."

"Sure, go right ahead," Chie said, obviously being lighthearted and joking.

Yukiko was a little less forgiving as she said scathingly, "Can we please drop the whole scoring thing?"

"Anyways, can we ask you something Teddie? How is it over here?" Yosuke asked, "Did a girl called Rise Kujikawa show up? Can you sense anything?"

"We believe that someone else has been thrown in," Rion told him.

"Rise Kujikawa? Hm…," Teddie said out loud.

"You can't tell? Your nose has been losing its edge lately," Yosuke told the bear.

"I'm a pretty shabby bear," Teddie replied, "Soon, I won't be useful at all. Then, I'll be thrown away."

"That's not true, Teddie," Souji said, "We'd never throw you away."

"I can… Stay with you all?" Teddie said, tears of joy in his eyes.

"Okay. Then we'll go look for something that'll help you on your search, like last time," Chie said.

"I can't tell for sure. But I can kinda sense someone in here. I think I'll be able to find her. I just need some kind of hint," Teddie told the group.

While the others went off, Teddie talked to Souji by the far end of the plaza.

"There's a lot of things I don't understand," Teddie told him.

"We'll figure it out together," Souji responded.

"Thank you beary much. You're really kind, Sensei!" Teddie replied, "I'll try even harder from now on!"

"I'll be waiting here," Teddie said.

They left the TV world, and Souji cursed himself... he had to find more clues.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10  
I am butchering dialogue, battles, and s-links to get the novel version respectable. I can make characters more cynical, mean, out of character, and amusing. My character is "special" personality-wise.

I own nothing, not SMT, nor Persona 4.

This is the stripytease. I'm getting complaints that Souji is too mean. He's getting better slowly, and he just has a friendly rivalry with people. I just think it's slightly amusing to sometimes act out the one way you can not in the game and still max out the slinks. Anyways, if you're worrying about the pairings… they'll start really matching them up in about 2 chapters or so. One more thing, if you're wondering why I'm putting them up so fast. It's because I've already written 21 chapters or so, and I just have to configure them and make them look decent. So… Auf Wiedersehen

* * *

Since Souji was left with finding clues for the bear, he had to know where to start. Souji would rather have someone else do it, but he was the leader. "Stupid shit. I always have to do this," he thought, "Next time… Rion's finding him/her."

He knew he had to find someone who was a huge fan of Rise or Risette. Where better to look for a clue than Yasogami High. She is our age after all. After searching and talking to some random students, he found some fat slob who seemed to be a Risette fan. A huge Risette fan.

"What do you know of Rise Kujikawa?" Souji asked.

"Risette?" the chubby boy responded, "I'm her biggest fan! I'm like a diehard Risette fan! You are too? Uh… no, huh?" Souji had shaken his head. The chubby kid had continued, "Well, ask me anything you want to know! A real Risette fan like me should be able to give you the minutest details."

"No wonder she wanted a fucking break…," Souji thought. Souji asked, "Why do you think she bugged out? I mean… What has she been up to recently?"

"Oh, you want like a status update?" the boy responded, "Well, nothing's bigger than bomb she dropped about taking time off for some R & R."

"Well, yeah," Souji said, "Everyone knows about that."

"Her blog may have some hints about why, but… well, there are a lot of theories out there. vAs a fan, I'm devastated. But, I guess there's not much I can do about it. "

"Thanks," Souji gave his gratitude.

"If you want more up-to-the-minute info, shouldn't you be asking some in the media or something?"

"I'll try that," Souji told the kid.

"Maybe, I'll try and send a letter through her fan club. Heh, I wonder if those will even reach her now?" the boy said.

"I doubt it," as Souji started backing away as he was now creeped out. He wanted to leave before he passed out anyways. He did not think the kid showered.

He seemed that Rise was really busy and he called Rion to tell him what happened.

"Yeah, go find a reporter, photographer, or some sort of paparazzi," Rion suggested.

Souji hung up the phone and began looking for a photographer. Rion seemed to put another thing in his head, "I have too many things to think about," Rion had said.

"No one really knows what he is thinking about," Souji said to himself.

Souji had talked to Rise's grandmother who told him to look for a "papa rat", which must have meant paparazzi.

"The people in the district try their best to get rid of them, but they keep coming back," she said, "One's often at the riverbank."

"Thanks," Souji replied.

He went to the floodplain to flush out the paparazzi. He was going to get the guy and wring out the information he had.

A kindly old man told him that she seemed different on TV.

"Thanks…," Souji said.

"You're welcome," the man said.

"That was a little useful," Souji thought as he left. He soon found out that the photographer wasn't around, and wasn't going to be around until the next day from a man who had scared the paparazzi away.

The next day after flushing out the photographer he decided to bug him again. He asked a "papa rat" about Rise Kujikawa.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"I'm looking for information about Rise," Souji answered.

"Oh… So, you are looking for information about Rise Kujikawa too?"

"Yeah," Souji nodded.

"How about this? We'll exchange information, you tell me what you know, and I'll tell you what I know," the photographer asked.

"Fair enough," Souji agreed.

"The people in the shopping district are making it hard for me to do any information gathering," the paparazzo replied.

"You are invading on their privacy, but we'll trade information," Souji chided him. Souji told him, "I think she's stressed out, for some unknown reasons."

"She's stressed, huh? I guess that's what it is, then," the photographer said, "You see, I've been trying to find the reason behind this shocking hiatus. And the most convincing thing of I've heard is that Risette got tired of her made-up personality."

"That would make perfect sense," Souji told him. He thought, "That's what Risette is, after all."

"Her identity as an idol, as opposed to how she normally is. She couldn't stand living two different lives. That sounds about right. Well, you didn't give me anything new, but thanks for the information. I can at least turn this into something," the guy said.

"She seems different on TV, too," Souji said.

"As I thought," the photographer said, "To be honest, I did a little digging into her private life."

"A little creepy," Souji thought.

"I was surprised to find that she's totally different than on TV. You'd never recognize her in real life," the guy said.

"It was pretty interesting meeting her up close," Souji said.

"Honestly, though, when you think of an idol you should honestly just assume manufactured personality, too," the photographer said.

"We already caught one trying to sneak into her room," Souji said.

"That's just going too far," the paparazzo admitted.

"It's nice to see that all of you aren't like that," Souji nodded.

"Thanks," the photographer said.

It looks like Rise was playing two roles. A real-life role, and the one that TV wanted her to. She was worried about both of her lives.

Souji called Yosuke.

"Yosuke, bring the group to Junes, we're going in," Souji told him.

"Right, I'll call them up and we'll meet you there," Yosuke responded.

They all met up at the sheltered bench at Junes. It was nice when it was raining, so they didn't have to get wet. Souji liked it because it was getting crowded. Especially cause they kept getting more and more members.

"So, what's the idea?" Chie asked.

"Well, we completely failed, again," Yukiko told the group, "We knew who it was, and we messed up."

"We just gotta go in and save her," Kanji replied.

"Right," Souji said, "I think we know enough now for Teddie to find her."

"Man, the Midnight Channel is a mess now," Yosuke said.

Rion looked around, "That's why we will need to rescue her in a timely manner."

"Yosuke!" Chie exclaimed, "You better not slack off, hoping she'll bare it all if we take our sweet time."

Souji didn't doubt that Yosuke would do it either.

"I wouldn't pull a stunt like that!" Yosuke yelled.

Souji chuckled, "I don't know, I could see you doing something like that."

Everyone else was quiet, "What's with the silent treatment?" Yosuke asked, "I won't do it, I swear!"

Rion wasn't giving Yosuke the silent treatment. He was just deep in thought again, "Some of the clues don't even add up. It'll be enough to find the place, and to fight the Shadow, but… eventually."

"Let's go into the TV, guys," Souji said.

At the world of the dead… no the TV world, he looked at Teddie who looked happier to see Souji and the others again.

"Hey, Sensei! You look like you found some clues!" the bear said.

He went over to talk to the bear, and Teddie said, "Did you find out more about this girl, Rise-chan?"

"Here's what we know," Souji said as he relayed the information to Teddie. The stress, the differences, and the worrying that Rise seemed to have.

"Hmhm… Her real self… I see, so she's just like me. The delicate, sentimental type. Then… Hrmm… Whaa! There's something out there! Is this it? Did I find her? Follow me!" Teddie pointed off behind him. He had freaked out as soon he had started sniffing. It must have been some good clues.

"Let's go everyone," Souji said. He shifted the sword in his back. It was much harder to hide it now that they were wearing their summer outfits.

"Right!" Yosuke said. It was easier to hide kunai. Of course, he was using larger knives now, and Souji did not know where he hid those.

The group trudged off after Teddie, southward and beyond. It was dark as they entered with only a small purplish glow surrounding them.

"What is this place? It's all dark?" Chie asked.

"Given from the show on the Midnight Channel, and the darkness; I have a pretty good idea, and it isn't a good one," Rion told them as his sword on his waist was shifted around his back.

The lights turned on suddenly and there were a bunch of velvet-covered lounges with a stage up front. The floor was magenta and it was quite the risqué place.

"Oh, you got to be shittin' me," Souji thought as he realized what the place was. He put two plus two together with what Midnight Channel showed.

There were glowing lights at the top of the stage and covered curtains to the left and the right.

"I'm surprised there isn't a pole," Rion muttered.

"Rion!" Yukiko yelled. She tried to hit him, but was surprised to see that she missed.

"Figures," Souji thought.

"Whoa? Is this a…?" Chie was bewildered.

"It's exactly what you think it is, Chie," Rion said.

"A strip joint," Souji said.

"Oh, like the kind you always find in resort towns?" Yosuke said.

"Ah, I think you're right," Yukiko replied, "Oh… but we don't have one. Our inn is not like that," Yukiko was shaking her head profusely.

"That's good to know," Souji said. He was thinking, "Though… if…"

"Huh? So this is a strip joint, eh?" Kanji asked.

"That would seem to be the case," Rion said.

"Strip?" Teddie asked, "Aha! I know what that is! It's the thing that zebras have, right?"

"….," Chie said. She was not amused.

"Strip… Like a zebra, right? Right?"

"It's so bright here. Even with my glasses on, my eyes hurt," Yukiko complained, ignoring Teddie.

"I agree… How about you, Kanji? You are wearing sunglasses," Rion said, also ignoring Teddie. Souji knew that Rion would ignore Teddie's jokes no matter what.

"It still bugs me a little," Kanji replied, ignoring Teddie as well.

"Doesn't anyone get the joke? Okay, let's try it one more time!" Teddie was desperate for attention, "Strip… It's something zebras have."

"Give it a rest, man," Souji said as Chie asked, "Can anyone shut this thing up?"

"Huh? Zebra? Sorry, what are we talking about?" Yukiko asked as she turned towards Teddie. The one person to shut the thing up, did so.

"I won't say it again," Teddie looked downtrodden, "Let's hurry on…"

Souji met with the team…, "Let's try and clear a few floors today. Make sure you have the right stuff equipped." He pointed to his sword strapped over his shoulder.

"Do you have what you need?" Yosuke asked.

"Yeah, I have the right Personas," Souji replied, "Then, let's go squash some Shadows."

They entered the striptease ready to smash and destroy. If it was only that easy.

They were expecting great things out of their new member. The first new Shadow that they encountered was an unmoving yet freestanding statue. A relic of sorts, that struck forth when aggravated. There were no weaknesses but one that they could find, and the one they found was electricity.

"Come forth, Take-Mikazuchi!" Kanji yelled, "Mazio!"

"Good job," Souji said. Souji shook his head. He had taken a good amount of damage in this first fight alone. Sarasvati just wouldn't work anymore. He would have to change it quickly. He changed to Rakshasa.

"Let's smash these bastards!" Kanji yelled at the three downed relics.

"Let's go then," Souji yelled.

The six of them ran forth to meet the downed enemies in a flurry of kicks, blows, and chairs. The Personas just watched.

They encountered an enemy that absorbed physical attacks. That took away all of Rion's abilities, as well of most of Chie's and Kanji's. Yukiko's fire was also worthless against it, and she was stuck healing. Kanji's electricity and Yosuke's wind were pointless as well.

"Damn it!" Yosuke yelled, "Why won't anything work!" as Yukiko healed him again.

"There is always a way to defeat the enemy. If there is not a weakness, there it least has to be a way to damage it," Rion said running in front of Souji to deflect the damage.

The Personas were doing no better than the people themselves. They took damage as easily as the people considering that they were reflections of the people that summoned them.

"Chie, watch your flank!" Souji yelled, as one of the sisters advanced on her.

"Ahhh!" Chie yelled.

"That's it!" Rion yelled as he figured out a weakness, "Chie, use Mabufu!"

"Help me, Tomoe!" "Mabufu!"

Souji went back to Sarasvati to use "Mabufu" to support Chie.

The sisters were knocked down just like the others.

"Is this our chance?" Chie asked.

Again, they went forth and pounded the enemy.

A third kind of Shadow on the early floors they faced were Shadows with purple, white, and red ladies with heads shaped like hearts spinning around. They carried sabers, had no weaknesses and preferred to swarm the group over and over.

"Finally, a respectable enemy," Rion said as he pulled his sword. He had dispelled Tajikarawo as the deity was incapable of performing enough damage. Rion preferred to fight the honorable way anyways.

"Why? Because they carry swords, or because they keep trying to charm us?" Souji asked.

"Let's just play the game," Rion replied.

Everyone else kept their Personas out to help them fight. They preferred someone casting magic in the background if they were to kill something.

A chair striking against a spinning head made Kanji happy for some reason. He really enjoyed smacking them around.

"And another, and another!" he exclaimed. He took his rage out on the shadows, "Who's a pansy now!"

Chie slid her feet underneath the lady so it would trip and Yosuke could slide his kunai in the chest area, while dodging the sword. Yukiko threw her fan into the enemy blinding it long enough for Souji to cut it in half horizontally. It was perfect teamwork. The Personas' magic flashed back and forth eliminating any of the others that got close.  
Rion… well, Rion faced three Shadows at once. His saber locked against one of the "dancers" while he pressed one of the buttons on his staff to block another blow from one of the others. His foot lanced out towards the third, and after he hit the third one and his foot had landed; he spun to hit all three in a blur, staff and sword. "Tch… Waste of time," Rion murmured as the Shadows exploded in purple smoke.

"Let's go," Souji said. As he ran up to Rion, "What were you thinking? You are reckless."

"I have too much on my mind already. I let my instincts take over," Rion shrugged.

"Whatever," Souji replied as they ran off towards the next enemy.

It was another police-shaped Shadow with a gun. "Tajikarawo!" "Tarukaja!" Rion cast on Souji, who had Rakshasa summoned.

"You need to use physical attacks!" Souji said after seeing many magical attacks go back and hit Yukiko, Chie, Yosuke, and Kanji. Souji felt it was smart that Rion had casted that skill on him. It was the reason they were surviving.

Kanji used "Kill Rush", Yosuke used "Sonic Punch", Chie used "Rampage", Rion used "Torrent Shot", and Souji used "Kill Rush" himself on those police-shaped Shadows to finish them off.

Kanji would get another workout very soon when they tried to get through the 2nd floor. There was a wavy Shadow that looked like something Souji learned about in science class.

It struck at Souji and he rolled out of the way. He brought his sword to bear to block the next strike as it swooped down upon him. He switched to Xiezhai and yelled "Zionga!" to incapacitate one of them.

"Nice!" Chie exclaimed.

"Tch," Kanji muttered, "I can do better than that." The other wavy Shadows were still coming and he summoned, "Here now! Take-Mikazuchi!" "Mazio!"

"And here I thought this was going to take effort," Souji pretended to be tired. Rion rolled his eyes.

Souji loved getting under Rion's skin. Of course, Rion would crush a Shadow with his bare fist and laugh about it while Souji needed countless healing from Yukiko. So, they could make a good team… if used properly.

As soon as they had climbed to the 3rd floor, Souji was already blinded by the pink. Also, he was blindsided by a rock. A rock Shadow.

"Damn!" Souji yelled.

"I am ineffective," Rion said as Tajikarawo attacks did about… minimal damage. When the rocks tried to roll into him, Rion jumped over the top, landing shoulder first. He backed away from the fight after dodging the fight.

"It's no good," Kanji said as his electricity wasn't working.

Chie jumped back from the attack and Tomoe advanced, "Mabufu!" All of the rocks fell over.

"Yes!" she yelled. "Alright guys, pile on!"

Yosuke shook his head, "Do we have to?"

"I guess…," Souji said before they all charged the rocks.

It wasn't a good prospect for those rocks.

Tomoe, Jiraiya, Konohana Sakuya, Tajikarawo, and Rakshasa were used repeatedly during the first three floors. It was during a certain door in the third floor that they sensed Rise.

Of course, right before they could do anything about that, they were attacked by more white ravens. They were dive bombers and caused holy hell on the group.

"What do we do?" Yukiko asked as she threw her fan.

"Did you ever think of… shooting fire at it?" Rion asked.

"Oh…," Yukiko said, "Konohana Sakuya!" "Maragi!"

The birds came crashing to the ground and the wings caught on fire.

"That's hot, Yukiko," Souji said.

"Thanks," Yukiko said shyly.

Yosuke snrked at their flirty exchange. Souji wanted to curse, but held back.

"The smell is coming from here!" Teddie yelled when they got to a doorway.

They pulled back the curtains and ran in. What was waiting for them was a Shadow Rise covered in that purple fog and smoke. She was wearing that skimpy little swimsuit that she "had never worn before" and was making Yosuke drool.

"It's Rise!" Yosuke exclaimed, wiping his drool off his cheek.

"Thank you, Mr. Obvious!" Chie muttered, "But something's not right."

"It is her other self," Souji said frankly.

The Shadow said, _"Hello, all you fans out there! Thanks for coming today!"_ she had a cheery yet shrilly voice not much unlike the Rise in the commercials or the one in the shop, _"Today, you're gonna see every last inch of me!"_

"Oh dear," Souji said, "Is she really going to strip?"

The Shadow said, _"What's that? You don't believe me? Ahahaha! Okay, okay! Then, why don't we… Oh, but you won't be able to see with all this smoke, huh? Okie-dokie! Just follow me a little further in and I'll prove that I'm every bit as good as my word."_

"This is not how I wanted to spend my Saturday," Rion muttered to himself.

A sign appeared, "Maru-Q Midnight Summer Dream Special! All the Way Live! Risette Exposed!"

It was a show creepy beyond belief and made everyone nervous. Souji rolled his eyes.

"Were we like that?" Kanji asked

"Pretty much…," Souji said. "What are we going to do here?" Souji thought.

"Dang, cause that's going kinda far…," Kanji muttered. "This is just crazy…," Kanji thought.

The applause they heard this time the show appeared was much louder this time.

"Sheesh, the roar of the crowd this time is insane. It's making me feel sick," Chie said.

Yosuke said worriedly, "If people really are watching this, we need to do something, and fast."

The Shadow continued, _"All right, Risetteers! Don't touch that dial! When we come back, you'll get a long good look at the real me! Maru-Q!"_

The Shadow ran off, away from them, and further up into the striptease. It left the group speechless for a few seconds.

"We'd better move it! This is a thousand times worse than hearing a few nasty secrets!" Yosuke yelled after wiping more drool from his mouth.

As the people laughed, Teddie exclaimed, "The shadows are really getting aggravated! What we just saw is what that Rise girl is suppressing. She'll be in trouble at this rate!"

"That's a terrible amount of stress on her," Rion admitted, "What she is going through would be both physically and psychologically damaging even if this is not happening. We need to hurry then."

"Yeah," Kanji said, "So, I guess I'm on the rescue team now. Alright, let's hurry up and go!"

"Let's go then!" Souji said.

They ran forwards after Rise's smoke trail.

They started cutting through ravens and police Shadows. The group shocked the DNA Shadows while freezing the rocks to try and make as much headway as possible to catch the Shadow. Souji and Yukiko were clearing a pair of dancing swords ladies when they reached the stairs. There was no sign of Rise, unfortunately.

"Okay, that's enough for today. The fog isn't coming for a while, and she won't expose herself that quickly," Souji said, "We normally don't go two days in a row, but since we don't have school… We're going to go up some more on Sunday."

"No rest for the weary, huh?" Yosuke asked.

"Of course not," Souji smiled.

"Figures," Yosuke nodded.

"He just does not want you to see her bare it all," Rion told him.

"Come on! Does no one trust me!?" Yosuke exclaimed.

They had reached the plaza floor as they all answered resoundingly, "NO!"

They left the TV world and headed back to their homes. "Welcome back!" was the greeting Souji got as he returned to Dojima's residence. He did not bother with food and such. All he could do when he got back was collapse on the futon. He did have a dream where Yukiko was throwing him up in the air. It made Souji happy, but he wondered how Yukiko was strong enough to throw him in the air.

---

Sunday…

Yukiko was wondering, "Why are we here again for the second day in a row? I'm tired, I had to make an excuse for why I can't work at the Inn, and if it wasn't Souji asking I wouldn't have bothered." She shook her head, "Where is he? He's late…"

Souji did arrive eventually at their table in Junes, and everyone was waiting for him. Chie had suckered Yosuke into buying her a steak.

"What's up sleepyhead?" Yosuke asked.

"Quiet you!" Souji rebuked, "Nanako didn't wake me up until 10 A.M."

"You require a young child to wake you up?" Rion inquired.

"Is that a problem?" he asked, annoyed.

"I think he was only wonderin' man," Kanji tried to calm it down, "Let's just go through the TV."

"Right, let's head out!" Chie exclaimed, "But let me finish my steak first!"

"Do you ever shut up about the steak, Chie!?" Yosuke asked. He shook his head.

"Umm… no," Yukiko said.

Eventually, they dragged Chie away from the steak.

They went through the TV to see Teddie and save Ms. Idol.

"Hey, you guys came!" Teddie said with glee, "Are we going to save Rise-chan?"

"We're going to try," Souji said.

"Alright, let's go!" Teddie took them to the club.

As they started to climb up the club, they encountered a lot of new Shadows to try and deal with.

"Why can not we just play with some more rocks?" Chie asked as a large wheel with spike on it crashed into her, knocking her over. The wheel had a lion's face on it.

The wheel came back around towards Yukiko. Souji ran in front of Yukiko to protect and faced the oncoming Shadow.

"Souji-kun!" she yelled in worry.

"Souji-kun…," he thought to himself before he yelled at the wheel, "Xiezhai!" "Zionga!"

It knocked down one of the wheels and Souji commanded, "Kanji, the rest is up to you."

Kanji listened to Souji and hit his card with his chair, "Come on, Take-Mikazuchi!"

The static electricity that remained in the air after that battle made Souji's hair stand on end. He tried to flatten it as he looked at Yukiko. Yosuke chuckled again.

Yosuke had a flashback to the liquor store, and Saki as another licking Shadow came after them in the 5th floor.

"Saki…," Yosuke got caught in his memories.

"Oh please…," Chie said as she summoned Tomoe to use "Rampage" on a few of them.

"Mazio!" Kanji yelled to knock down the lickers. Souji and Rion stabbed and cut through the spheres.

The group found more dice Shadows on the end of the 5th floor as Souji was turning a corner. Guess what the dice were good at. Going boom! Souji did not like that. Not at all…

The dice were rolling in left and right and causing general havoc. The latest one had blown up in Souji's face, and as he patted off a small flame on his pant leg, he muttered, "Why me…?"

"Nothing's working," Kanji yelled as Take-Mikazuchi fired a "Zionga!" into the dice, only for it to blow up in his face.

Rion sighed as he pushed himself back up and said, "I believe the only viable option is to use physical attacks. There are no weaknesses to speak of." He faced a pair of dice, "Reach and destroy! Tajikarawo!" "Torrent Shot!" The dice were knocked over by the attack and hit the ground. Rion smirked at this, and pushed up his glasses.

"You heard him," Souji said, "Kick their ass!"

At this command, two "Kill Rush!", "Rampage!", "Sonic Punch!", plus a fan, chair, kunai, ninjato, katana, and a pair of greaves all slammed into about 4 pair of dice to try and stop them from decimating the group.

"Is it over?" Yukiko asked. "Media!" She healed the group with Konohana Sakuya.

"I think so," Souji said.

They found more of these chained lions on the 6th floor, but they did look different to Souji when they attempted to kill the group. They were black instead of brown. But the similarity to the one in Kanji's place was that getting hit by their attacks still hurt rather badly.

It was best to use Yukiko's "Agilao" with Konohana Sakuya than anything else. It made them flip over like a pancake.

"Time for breakfast," Yosuke joked.

When they reached the seventh floor, it got all dark and spooky. It seemed like the Rise's Shadow wanted to play a game with the viewers and the group before she was going to show off for the viewers.

"I'm tired of playing games," Souji said with a sigh. He shifted his sword that he had replaced over his shoulder.

"It seems every one of these places has at least one game for us to play," Rion said. He pushed his glasses up with his pointer finger. Souji noticed himself doing that sometimes after a tough battle against Shadows. If he didn't do that, he would have trouble navigating through the fog.

They had to wander around almost blind and try to find a door that would lead to what they were looking for, Rise. They found where she supposedly was, but she didn't let them in. "The stairway, I guess," Souji thought.

"Do we have to do something else?" Yosuke asked.

"Like what?" Chie wondered.

"Probably kill something," Souji said.

Rion was leaning on his staff, looking for Shadows, "That sounds about right."

There were beetle Shadows on this floor.

"Pssh…," Rion had Tajikarawo behind him. He knew with beetles, that he should not use physical attacks. "This is all I can do for you, Masukunda!"

It did prove useful. One of the beetle Shadows struck at Yosuke, and it missed terribly. He easily slipped to the left. "Garula!" The wind blew the beetle into the air.

"Mabufu!" Chie commanded for her Persona. She would much rather have used her feet. But, killing is killing.

Yukiko aimed for the beetle in the front, "Agilao!" She wanted to cause a pile-up.

"Unicorn!" "Mahama!" Souji commanded. He wanted to see if his luck would hold.

As the beetles disappeared, Souji decided, he really was lucky.

"Okay… let's go," Yosuke said as they walked on.

They went along killing Shadows till they found a curtain at that point Rise's voice came forth again.

_"You came!"_ the shadow said, _"Okay, I'm ready for anything!"_

Teddie looked nervous, "Are you ready, Sensei?"

"As long as someone stops playing this stupid music…," Souji muttered.

He wasn't the only one annoyed by it. Chie was holding her ears.

"No, I won't make the damn music louder!" Rion yelled. They entered the curtain and saw Rise's Shadow with a huge-ass snake with her.

"What the hell is that?" Yosuke yelled.

"_Ahahahaha!"_ Rise's Shadow chuckled, _"Look! C'mon, look at me!"_

"Sorry… little distracted," Souji muttered.

The snake attacked them.

"Start moving guys!" Rion yelled.

The snake started by casting "Stagnant Air!" It seemed to have made it easier to catch a cold.

"It caught you off guard, Sensei!" Teddie exclaimed.

The snake used, "Virus Wave!" after that, which damaged all six of them, and poisoned Kanji and Yukiko.

"Our turn!" Yosuke yelled, "Jiraiya!" "Garula!" He damaged the snake, but it did little damage.

Yukiko and Souji used items on each other to get rid of the poison.

"You should have waited for me Yosuke," Rion muttered, "Tajikarawo! Rakunda! Yukiko, let's see what you can do to take it out!"

Souji had Rakshasa equipped and used "Kill Rush" to pound down on the enemy with its weakened defense.

"Zionga!" Kanji was a little forward with summoning "Take-Mikazuchi!"

"Tarukaja!" Chie had used Tomoe to cast that on Yukiko.

"Agilao!" Yukiko yelled for Konohana Sakuya. It did a good amount of damage on the snake Shadow.

The Shadow kept up with its "Virus Wave" right after the "Agilao" and it kept poisoning members of the group.

"This is taking too long," Rion said. He had watched Yosuke use medicine to heal his poison, and Chie use Tomoe's "Assault Dive!" He himself had just used "Torrent Shot!" with his Tajikarawo because he did not need to buff or debuff this turn. Yet, they kept getting poisoned. He moved in on the snake with his staff and hit its tail while Souji tried to it cut it down to size with his own sword.

"That was so cool, Yuki-chan!" Teddie yelled as she dodged the Virus Wave. She fired her fan, while Konohana Sakuya used "Agilao!", but it was taking too long.

"Our enemy is down! We must strike!" or "Now's our chance for a beatdown!" Kanji yelled.

"Let's go!" Souji responded.

The group, some poisoned, some not, came full speed into the snake.

"Souji!" Rion yelled. He suggested, "You need a Persona that uses Agilao repeatedly. If you do that, it might help."

Yosuke had just finished dodging another Virus Wave and was casting "Sonic Punch!" while using his kunai at the tail. Tajikarawo was just buffing the others while Rion used his sword to pinprick the snake. Chie used "Assault Dive!" and her feet on the cross of the snake.

The snake started using "Mind Slice" that started confusing those it hit. Rion threw Yosuke to the ground to dodge it. Rion came up spitting some blood.

Meanwhile, Souji switched to a Persona called Power that he had and casted "Agilao!" on the snake. It fell over like it had before, but this time… "Did someone happen?" Souji thought.

"Ooh ooh! Can I have this one!?" Chie asked in glee.

"Hurry!" Souji yelled.

"Protect me for a second, Tomoe!" The twin-bladed persona guarded her master while she prepared for something.

Chie stretched out her legs and then ran towards the snake. Chie roundhouse kicked the enemy. Off into the distance the Shadow went, and never did it return.

"What the hell was that?" Souji asked… He was in shock. They spent all the time trying to kill the snake, and it was kicked into oblivion in about five seconds by Chie.

"I call it… The Galactic Punt!" Chie exclaimed.

"What kind of dumbass name is that?" Yosuke said, brushing himself off, "Oof…," He soon found himself on the ground feeling one of Chie's feet.

"You have a problem with the name?" Chie asked.

"No, Ma'am!" Yosuke said in rolling pain.

"And that's… why I don't get on Chie's bad side…," Souji muttered.

"Do any you have a problem with the name?" Chie glared at everyone else.

They shook their heads meaning they had no problems with the name she gave.

"Ooh… It got all bright again, guys!" Teddie exclaimed as Yosuke got up because the lights turned on. They started paying attention again, "We did it, Sensei! What a relief… We can go on now!"

Before they could goho-m by getting to the next floor, they ran into eagle Shadows.

"I'm tired," Yukik complained as she threw her fan. The eagle responded by diving at her. She ducked and screamed.

"Yukiko!" Chie yelled, "Protect her, Tomoe! Bufula!"

"That works," Rion said, fighting off one with Tajikarawo's own "Torrent Shot!"

"Titania!" "Bufula!" Souji yelled, getting rid of the other one.

They went back up to the next floor and returned home. He knew they'd need a couple days off. Souji had pushed them hard, but the faster the better. "No baring it all for Yosuke," Souji thought.

Souji returned to Nanako's "Welcome home, big bro!" He smiled at that.

Monday was a boring school day. Morooka bugged him about what resentment meant. Something about hatred and jealousy was his answer for that. He would have hung out with Yosuke, but since they hadn't saved Rise, it wouldn't be possible. He ate some cheesecake he hopefully had not poisoned himself with when he got home.

"Always such nice things waiting for me at home," Souji thought to himself.

It was rainy the next day. He bought a book where the dude was a poor teacher. "Man, teachers suck," he thought.

Then, he hung out with Kou. As usual, Daisuke came along to try and cheer up the downer. Kou was all lonely and what not because his parents wanted him to do this and that. "His adopted parents are douches," he thought.

Wednesday, he decided they were going to throw their lives away at trying to kill, no I mean saving Rise. He told them so during lunchtime.

Rion pulled Souji aside after lunch, "After a floor or so, I'm going to start running. I'm a lot faster than everyone else, and if I get there first I'll see what I can do."

"You'd be without Teddie, and your Persona isn't really made for solo trips," Souji told him, "What are you going to try and do?"

"My Persona can reduce magic damage and physical damage. Anyways, I usually figure things out what to do before Teddie," Rion shrugged, "I'm going to make sure Rise does not say anything until you get there. When you get there, then she can go crazy."

"Alright whatever, whenever you're ready to go," Souji muttered. Souji thought, "If Rion gets himself killed, I'm not responsible. Rion is right… he does figure it out faster than Teddie. We usually just have to figure it out and then Teddie remembers if we forget." Souji shook his head as he walked back to class, "Of all the people who have Personas and have faced Shadows, he's the one who has changed the least. I wonder what that means…"

After school, they checked the weather. They still had days before days of repetitive rain.

"Okay, let's go!" Yosuke said as they went into the TV.

The first floor they started into that day had the same enemies they had before. The chained lions, the beetles, and that rock monster. The next floor, after nods from Souji, Rion all but flew ahead of everyone.

"Where's he going?" Chie asked in confusion.

"He's going to meet us at the top floor with Rise," Souji replied.

"What!?" Yosuke exclaimed, "He's going to take on the Shadow by himself?"

"No, I think he's going to try and delay what's going to happen," Souji explained, "I don't think it's some sort of pride thing, so we shouldn't interfere."

"I think it's pretty foolish," Yukiko said.

"Rion-senpai is going to get himself killed without Teddie," Kanji told them.

"We'll just have to see if his corpse shows up," Souji said with a shrug.

"That's terrible, Souji," Yosuke said.

"I'm kidding," Souji said, "He'll be fine. Rion's just making sure Rise doesn't say anything before we get there."

Souji soon found out with the new enemies that it was harder without Rion. Yosuke was his partner per say, he ran the show, but Rion was the guy who backed everyone up and was a step ahead of the enemy.

Souji had one thing to say, "Damn tank enemy!" They kept shooting shit at them. The Personas would take the blows, but that weakened the others slowly too. There were no weaknesses of the tanks that they could find.

"So… what do we do?" Kanji asked.

"We kick ass?" Souji responded as he was about to switch to Rakshasa for a high defense, but he wanted to try something against this tank… "LMatador!"

"Hmm!?" Yukiko was looking at Souji curiously as the tank came towards them.

"Mudo!" The black magic that enveloped the tank made it disappear into the night.

"Hell yeah!" Yosuke exclaimed.

They tried to maneuver around a gigas, but as Yosuke threw a kunai into its foot; it got angry.

As it tried to smash in Yosuke, Yukiko dealt with the giant, "Here, Agilao!"

"So awesome," Souji thought as the gigas fell over, burned, and they cut it to pieces.

He hoped Rion didn't attack any of the knight Shadows. He had to wake up Chie after she kicked the knight fruitlessly, and watch it spear her. At least Souji knew Rion was really fast.

Reaching the final floor was a blessing… They hadn't found Rion, but they had an inkling that he was already there.

When he went to open the curtain Teddie said, "I think that girl named Rise is ahead of here, but I'm not certain. I know Rion is here.

They ran as fast as they could through the fog and into the darkness.

The real Rise was kneeling before the Shadow Rise in her apron-clad outfit, while Rion was standing before them with his arms crossed. This was the main stage as there was a pole in the center. "No comments," Souji thought, "Pole dancing… are you kidding me?"

Chie exclaimed, "There it is!"

"I hope you guys have better luck than I did…," Rion said as he turned around.

"Look, the real one is here, too!" Yosuke yelled.

"Duh!" Souji said, "Aren't they always at the top of the place?"

The Shadow started laughing, _"Ahahahaha! They're all watching! All eyes are on me now!"_

The real Rise tried to reason with the Shadow, "Stop it!"

The Shadow mocked her, _"Aww… What's the matter? You wanna show your stuff, don'tcha? How's this?"_

"I wouldn't," Yukiko muttered, "But I guess I already dealt with that."

The Shadow started twirling on the pole.

"Please… Stop this," Rise was begging.

"The shadow will not listen to reason, Rise," Rion said.

The Shadow was laughing again, _"Oooh, she wants me to stop. That's so funny!"_ The Shadow suddenly got angry_, "As if that's even close to what you're really thinking, you little skank. You're me! And obviously, I'm you!"_

"No… That's not true…," Rise tried to deny it.

The Shadow was cackling, _"Ahahaha! C'mon, look! You can't tear your eyes away! This is me! This is who I really am!" _Her voice changed into a mocking voice, _"Not Risette, the fake celebrity! Look at the girl right in front of you! I'm sick of being some airhead cliché who chokes everything she's fed and takes it all with a smile. Risette! Who the hell is she? There's no such person in this world! I'm no one but myself! C'mon, look at me!"_

Again, Rise tried to deny it, "That's not, I…"

The Shadow smiled, _"Well then, I guess it's time to prove it. I'm going to show it all off. Let my naked truth be burned into your brains!"_

"Stop… Stop it!" Rise yelled, "You're…"

"No, don't say it!" Chie yelled.

"You're not me!"

Rion shook his head, "I tried, but we're screwed."

The purple smoke turned into black as the Shadow began to transform. The Shadow herself began to chuckle and laugh repeatedly. _"Here it comes!" _the Shadow said, as it waited for the transformation, _"Now! I'm finally myself!"_

The Rise Shadow had turned into an oversized, multi-colored, girl with a satellite dish on her head.

"What the hell? You know what, I'm not going to ask," Souji was talking to himself.

"Tch! Here we go!" Kanji yelled.

So, the proverbial battle against the shadow Rise began. The Shadow was pole dancing seductively and came down from the pole to talk, _"I am a Shadow… The true self… And now the moment you've all been waiting for! It's time for me to show every last inch of myself! Heehee… And for the guests in the front row… I'll give you extra-special, extra-intense service."_

"Looks like she had issues of her own after all," Yosuke said.

"I suggest we finish this quickly then, okay?" Rion suggested.

"We need to stop her from going berserk," Souji said.

"So… I was like this too? Oh, man," Kanji shook his head.

The Shadow was distracted, momentarily, before she said, _"Ohh… You're going to rush the stage? What an ill-mannered guest. Maybe you're looking for an experience that's little more intense."_

"We can't be deterred!" Rion yelled, "Tajikarawo!" "Torrent Shot!" to damage the shadow repeatedly.

"Rakshasa!" "Sukunda!" Souji lowered the Shadow's evasion.

"Jiraiya!" "Sukukaja!" Yosuke boosted evasion on the others by having Jiraiya use it repeatedly.

"Take-Mikazuchi!" "Kill Rush!" Kanji put his chair into action as well.

"Rampage, Tomoe!" Chie wanted repeated damage on the shadow as well.

"Agilao, Konohana Sakuya!" Yukiko was trying to hold off the enemy with fire.

It wasn't only the Personas that were getting involved… Rion's blade was a blaze as he rushed in and attacked the shadow.

The kunai that Yosuke wielded flashed dangerously as he darted in and out.

Chie was a flurry of feet and hands as she struck the pole and Shadow. The sword that Souji used made large gashes everywhere it struck.

Yukiko's fan flew calmly towards the shadow, hit, and returned.

The Shadow would respond by casting weak magic to exploit weaknesses. To help the others out, when an Agi spell was cast at Chie; Yukiko or Rion would take the blow. If a Bufu at Yukiko; Chie or Souji would take it. It went as such, so no one would be knocked down. Rion, for once, had to be pushed repeatedly, because of his weakness to Garu and Bufu.

After a while, the Shadow spoke, _"Ahahaha! Enjoying yourself? I've got a ways to go until I show my true self. You ain't seen nothin' yet."_

The Shadow started casting all-hitting spells like "Maragi!", which would knock down Chie. Yukiko had to pick her up and then use "Media!" especially after multiple rounds of magic.

Rion yelled, "If it's using Agi skills, Chie you have to guard!"

"Right!" Chie responded.

When the shadow cast "Agilao!" at Chie, it didn't knock her down after her guard.

They kept up the regular attacks with swords and blunt objects, while the Personas cast spells or attacked. The Shadow started using "Mind Slice!" on occasion, and the others had to smack some sense into those who were confused while "Media!" was cast.

Souji kept switching his Persona so he would not be knocked over. He went from Unicorn to Titania to Rakshasa to Power, and so on. "You are going to be taken down!" Souji yelled as he cast "Zionga!" with Unicorn.

The Shadow was mad after the fact they weren't dead yet, _"What! I dealt all that exquisite pain and you're still not satisfied! What a finicky guest! You might as well die, then!"_

"Guys, what do we do?" Souji asked.

It cast a new spell, "Supreme Insight!" It analyzed the whole group one at a time with a green light that slowly covered them.

_"No touching allowed. Ahahaha!"_ The Shadow laughed.

"Oh shit," Rion said, "This is really bad," Rion looked really worried as the light covered them.

The Shadow kept up the all-hit spells while their moves suddenly couldn't connect. None of the magic, Tomoe's "Assault Dive", Mikazuchi's "Kill Rush", or Tajikarawo's "Torrent Shot" could hit.

"What the hell is going on?" Kanji yelled.

Rise's Shadow had about enough of this foolishness, _"I can see about everything of you… _

_Ahaha!"_ The white light of her spell engulfed the area. Everyone was blown off the stage and Rion was knocked back in the wall. The Personas dissipated.

The others looked on at the dancing shadow as Chie asked, "What's the deal here? Our attacks keep missing."

"They are anticipating our every move, it seems," Souji said.

Teddie cried, "I'm completely useless."

Rise started charging up again, as Rion used his staff to steady himself. He could still summon his Persona because he had barely used any of his spirit.

"What the…," Yosuke was shocked.

"That power! I think it's scanning us! Ohh, this is not good!" Teddie yelled.

"It's how we were beaten before," Souji said. "I'm getting scared," Souji thought.

"When you say not good, what exactly do you mean?" Kanji asked with fear in his eyes.

"It means we're screwed," Rion told them.

The shadow shouted with glee, "Woohoo! Analysis complete! Okay, here comes my counterattack! See if you can dodge, hmm?"

"Don't test me!" Rion admitted. He was still unsteady, but his staff was now blazing back and forth in front of him as a defense, "I can still fight! Makarakarn!" He used it repeatedly on the others before she could finish them off. He just didn't have enough to use it on himself. "It won't work that well, but it's all I got!" Rion yelled.

"Oh fuck!" Souji yelled as the attack was about to come.

"Stop it!" Teddie yelled.

The yellow light came forth and knocked everyone over.

The Persona-users were staggering or were on one knee struggling to breath. The magic shields that were supposed to reflect the magic didn't work, but it stopped enough damage from getting through. Rion on the other hand, rolled through to the back of the wall.

"You got to be kidding," Yosuke said.

Chie looked exasperated, "How are we supposed to win?"

"Are we going to die?" Yukiko wondered.

"There has to be a way to do this!" Souji said. "What can we do?" he was wracking his mind.

Rion had completely disappeared altogether from the scene. He was staggering from his injured left side, dropped his staff and was readying himself for something. He had limped over to the left side of the stage.

"No! You guys can't die!" Teddie yelled, "What can I do? Sensei?"

"We need you, Teddie!" Souji yelled.

"You're right!" Teddie was worried though, "Am I going to be all alone again? No, that's not what I want!"

Kanji had exclaimed when the Shadow scanned them again, "Shit, it's winding up again!"

"I… I…," Teddie was really scared.

"Okie, dokie, here we go again!" the shadow exclaimed, readying for an attack, "Good bye… Forever!"

"I'm waiting for you, Teddie," Rion murmured to himself, "I know you'll do it."

"It's coming!" Souji yelled.

"Aw shit!" Yosuke cried out.

"My body is moving on its own! Why am I stepping forward?" Teddie asked as he moved in front of the five others.

"Right… You can do it!" Rion said to Teddie from far away.

"Wha… Whoa!" Teddie was scared as he faced down the Shadow, "I feel like I'm going bear-serk. Grr… I'll do it. Take a good look at Teddie's last stand!"

Now the Shadow was scared of the hollow bear, "This high energy reading… Is it coming from that weird thing?"

"Teddie!" Kanji yelled, "The hell are you doing?"

Teddie growled at the multi-covered Rise's Shadow.

"Teddie!" Yosuke yelled out.

Teddie ran straight at the Shadow, and at that moment Rion dove in and pulled the real Rise out of the way before all hell broke loose. Teddie had defeated the fake Rise, but he was flattened into a pancake.

"Great, more breakfast," Souji muttered, jokingly. He was really, really relieved in actuality and proud of Teddie.

"Teddie!" Kanji yelled at the pancake, "You idiot! You coulda died!"

Teddie's voice was strained, "Did I? Did I help?"

"You did Teddie, you did," Souji replied, "Without you, we'd be dead."

"Neat! I'm so glad; I didn't want to be alone anymore," Teddie seemed to be happy.

Chie said with concern, "Teddie…,"

"Ngh… Urgh…," the wavy pancake struggled up, "What in the world!? No, my fine, silky fur… I was so proud of it!" He cried out.

"He'll be just fine," Souji told them and looked over by Rise, "Rion, what are you doing over there, with Rise?" Souji looked a little shocked with Rion a little close with the idol. If only he was closer… it would be a hell of a lot better blackmail. But alas, nope.

They all ran over to Rise, who was splayed out over to the side. Rion was standing unsteadily off to the side. He had gotten up in the time Souji was staring and thinking. He said and explained, "It's hard to jump in front of a crazy-powered up bear in time to save a girl when you're hurt."

"Rise-chan!" Yukiko cried out.

"Mm…? Where… am I…?" Rise asked, "I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

"No, it's not," Souji said.

"Don't worry about it," Rion said.

"No… It's still something that I did," Rise said solemnly. She struggled to her feet. "Here, stand up," she told the Shadow, "I'm sorry. You must been in a lot of pain up to now. You're part of me, but I kept refusing to admit that you existed. I trying to figure out who the real me was. But I realize now that I was on the wrong track. There is no "real" me. It just doesn't exist."

Rion was walking back to the others and thought, "Man, she is still messed up. Then again, I wish I knew who the real me is."

"There's no "real" me?" Teddie wondered.

"You… Me… even "Risette"… where all born from me," Rise said, "All of them are me."

The Shadow nodded and disappeared. From which, a white satellite dish-carrying Persona emerged. She turned around, and fell over.

Rion murmured, "Himiko… The Queen and Prophet of Japan…"

"Rise-chan. Be careful!" Yosuke warned. The Persona-users seemed to have completely ignored the fact that they were almost destroyed about five minutes ago. Souji remembered.

"I'm all right… Hey, you're the one who came to the store, right?" Rise asked.

Yosuke looked at the others, "Oh, yeah and these guys came too." He pointed at Rion, Souji, and Kanji.

"Hi…," Souji said.

"I thought I recognized you guys. Thanks, everyone," Rise said with a smile.

"We'll save for everything later, but for right now…," Chie was saying but she turned around and saw a troubled Teddie.

"What's wrong, Chie?" Yukiko asked as they all turned around.

"There's no real me?" Teddie asked sadly.

"Hey… Teddie…," Kanji tried to calm him down, "What's wrong?"

"No, get back!" Rise warned.

"I think we have a problem!" Rion said, "A very big one!" He drew his ninjato.

"Something's coming out of him!" she warned.

"Another Shadow!?" Souji asked, but more in alarm.

"What?" Yosuke asked.

A new voice out of Teddie came, _"Real? Me?"_ It laughed, _"Such foolishness…"_

Out from Teddie came a Shadow that was larger than the normal Teddie when it was inflated.

"What is that thing?" Yosuke asked.

Chie was scared, "Don't tell me… Is that the other Teddie? Teddie's hidden thoughts."

"I believe so," Rise said, "But it seems like there's more. I felt some powerful presence intervene."

"That presence makes me feel like the next fight seem like the this one was only child's play," Rion muttered.

"What!?" Chie yelled.

"What's going on?" Teddie was confused. He turned around and saw his Shadow, which shocked him, "Whoa!" He was really scared.

_"The truth is unattainable!" _the Shadow said in a Rion-like voice, _"It will always be shrouded in fog… Though you reach through the murk and the gloom to grasp something, you have no means to know it is the truth… In which case, why? In what sense is there in yearning for the truth? Close your eyes. Lie to yourself. Live in blissful ignorance. It is a much smarter existence."_

Teddie was confused as he said quickly, "What are you talking about? I don't understand a word you're saying. You're just making it sound difficult cause I'm not that smart. How rude! Maybe you can't tell, but I'm thinking as hard as I can."

_"It is those efforts I am calling useless,"_ The Shadow said in a monotone voice, _"You are hollow… Empty. At your core, you know this… You just cannot accept this. So you seek an alternate form… a denial of your nature. You have no lost memories. If you have forgotten anything, it is the truth."_

"That's a lie!" Teddie whined in his most powerful voice he could have at the moment.

The Shadow's unwavering voice continued, _"Shall I spell it out for you? You are but a mere…"_

"I said shaddup!"

The pancake attacked the Shadow and was knocked back, "Teddie!" Yukiko yelled in concern.

The Shadow turned to the others, _"It is the same for you all… You undergo suffering because of your search for the truth. This world is filled with thick, heavy fog. How can you find something if you know not what you search for?"_

"There's always a way to find it," Souji responded. "Teddie…," Souji thought. He was really worried for him.

The Shadow continued, _"And thus, you invite more suffering upon yourselves… It is beyond my comprehension. Then I will grant you one truth. You will all die here. You sought the truth, only to find death."_

The Shadow began to transform into a larger being.

"Dammit, how are we supposed to fight something like this without Teddie?" Yosuke asked.

"We have a way," Rion responded, glancing back at the red-head.

"It's all right… Get ready, everyone," Rise commented from the back.

"Hey, don't tell me you're fighting with us! You can't take it!" Chie worried.

She soothed her, "I'm okay. I should be able to take that bear's place. It's my turn to save you all." From behind, her Persona covered her with a visor so she could sense the Shadow.

"I'm not ready to do this again," Rion muttered, "Here goes nothing." He picked up his staff, and placed it behind his back with his sword straight at the transforming Shadow.

The transformation began as the Shadow Teddie became a massive creature that covered half of the room and a large sinkhole around him.

"You got to be shittin' me!" Souji yelled as he saw the creature.

The monotone Shadow spoke in a deeper voice than Rion, _"I am a Shadow. The true self. I shall give you the truth you claim to hold so dear. The inescapable fact of your death here."_

"Was that creepy thing really inside our Teddie?" Chie asked. She was as scared as she was against Rise's Shadow.

"Do we have any choice but to move on and fight?" Yukiko asked.

"I guess he was a lot more troubled than he looked. We have to save him!" Yosuke said.

"We must defeat it," Souji agreed.

_"Foolish beings! Accept your end with dignity and grace!" _the Shadow told them.

"I'm afraid there will be no ending, but yours," Rion said, mocking the Shadow.

"Buff and debuff!" Souji said, "Sukunda!" "Rakshasa!"

"Jiraiya!" exclaimed Yosuke, "Sukukaja!"

"Take-Mikazuchi!" "Kill Rush!" yelled Kanji as he hit his card with the chair to summon it.

"Assault Dive! Tomoe!" yelled Chie.

"Tajikarawo!" "Tarunda!" Rion lowered the attack of the Shadow.

"Persona! Konohana Sakuya!" "Agilao!" Yukiko attacked the Shadow with her flames.

The Shadow tried to use "Foolish Whisper!" to silence the users. If that would happen, the Personas couldn't use their skills. Luckily, Yukiko wasn't silenced, so she was able to use "Me Patra."

Once the Persona-users were silenced, the Shadow used "Dekunda!" to negate the effects of any reduction of his powers.

The Shadow also used "Marakunda" to weaken every person and Persona so they would take more damage.

The amount of people who could actually attack the shadow with their weapons was limited. Souji couldn't because of the huge hole that the Shadow came out of, neither could Chie, Yosuke, or Kanji.

Yukiko's fan became a mainstay in attacking the Teddie's shadow. Rion literally had to pole vault over the hole with his staff and attack with the ninjato, and back flip when the bear tried to swat him off like a gnat.

The Shadow would attempt to use "Heat Wave" to inflict multiple hits on the investigators. Those who didn't dodge had to be healed.

"Rion… we need a way for us to dodge!" Souji exclaimed. Yukiko was currently healing Souji with "Diarama!" and would be moving onto to others shortly.

"I understand…," Rion said calmly. He spun his card into the air, and slashed it, "Reach, Tajikarawo! Sukukaja!" He looked at them, "I'll need some time to repeat this."

By this time, Souji had switched to "Unicorn!" "Zionga!"

After a few more attacks by Souji's Unicorn, Take-Mikazuchi, Jiraiya, and Tomoe; the Shadow began using "Mind Charge!"

"Be careful!" Rion yelled, "This is going to be bad if you aren't prepared!"

Rion, and Yukiko luckily blocked after the Mind Charge, because the Shadow used "Mabufula!" It didn't knock them over, but it still damaged them a lot, and their Personas were in trouble as well.

"Keep blocking after the Mind Charges!" Rion told them, "If you are weak to ice, you will be hurt."

Yukiko had healed the group afterwards and the pounding continued from every Persona and human, but there was only a slight break by the Shadow before he used more "Mabufula!" Then Yukiko needed to use more "Diarama!" and more "Media!"

After some more damage, the Shadow finally started talking, _"Stop this futile struggling! Even if you resist, it will all come to naught."_

The Shadow began something called "Ultra Charge!" It ducked under and came up with a large energy ball in its left hand.

"What… I have a bad feeling about this," Rise said.

"Guys," Souji was worried, "This is something you shouldn't be hit by."

"Be sure to guard before it comes," Rion told them.

"What's going to happen?" Kanji asked.

Yukiko started healing everyone to full health. After one more free shot by Tajikarawo, Rise said, "It's going to attack, get ready!"

Every Persona and human started guarding against the attack. The "Nihil Hand!" struck, but it was blocked and nulled.

So, the battle continued.

Those who couldn't attack with their weapons focused more with Personas. Kanji worked alongside Take-Mikazuchi to cast "Kill Rush!" or "Zionga!" Chie would work with Tomoe for "Gale Slash!" When Teddie started charging it's "Nihil Hand!", they guarded. It also would use "Marakunda!" and "Heat Wave!" randomly to try to catch them off guard. Occasionally the Shadow would use "Mabufula" to knock over Rion or Yukiko to weaken the party, especially since Yukiko was the main healer. Souji went back and forth between Unicorn and Ganga to heal or use lightning depending on the situation, all while protecting him from ice. He had to pick up Yukiko and Rion multiple times.

_"What? How can summon such strength for such a futile endeavor_?" the Shadow asked after being inflicted with more damage.

His new attack, "Nullify Guidance!" nearly killed any it hit, and require a lot of shoving people out of the way. If the attack connected, the one hit would become extremely tired and tired, and all of their injuries they had ever had came back. Yukiko had to work overtime to heal them, except the time she was hit with it. They had to keep attacking… Even with repeated "Nihil Hand!" attacks, "Mabufula!" spells, and "Nullify Guidance" they persisted. "Zionga!", "Kill Rush!", "Agilao!", and "Assault Dive!" were abused. All the while, they were being buffed by Rion and Yosuke, or they were debuffing the Shadow.

Rion became a nuisance on the shadow's head as he danced on it, stabbing and dodging its hands. Doing so, distracted it, and allowed Yukiko and Souji to heal the others and themselves.

With more damage, a new spiel came forth, _"Why do you still resist? Even should you win, naught but suffering awaits?"_

"We need to keep fighting!" Souji yelled as he was blasted by "Nullify Guidance", "Arrgh!" Souji became dizzy.

"Wake up!" Yukiko smacked him and cast "Diarama!".

"Torrent Shot!" Rion's Persona came forth, "Sukunda!" The Persona was became even more of a sitting duck.

"Garula!" Yosuke yelled. It was a perfect hit.

"We're running out of power here," Chie said, "I don't know how much longer we can keep this up."

"Just a little longer!" Souji yelled. Souji was struggling to keep it up as well. This battle needed to end soon. "Mabufula!" The Shadow blasted Rion and Yukiko to the ground and hit them again with his arms.

"Yukiko!" Souji yelled. He ran over and helped her up.

"Thanks," Yukiko said.

Yosuke and Chie dragged Rion up by each of his arms.

"Till the end!" Kanji said, "Kill Rush!"

That final attack seemed to be the end of it, as the Shadow disappeared from the distance as the Shadow fell into the hole.

They all struggled and staggered around. "Two Shadow battles in a day suck big time," Souji thought to himself.

"Was that part of you, Teddie?" Yukiko asked the pancake as they could see him again.

"Even Teddie has a hidden side," Chie said to the flat bear.

"I don't know who I am," Teddie told the Shadow as he turned towards it.

The Shadow stared at him.

"I've thought of number of times, that there was no answer," Teddie said, "But I'm here, and I live here."

"I'm sure you'll find it, Teddie," Souji told him.

"Sensei, will I really find it?" Teddie asked.

"Of course, we will all help you figure it out," Souji responded.

"I'm sure we will find out about you as we continue investigating about this world," Yukiko told the bear.

"You guys!" Teddie was so happy, "I'm one lucky bear!"

Chie looked, "Is that…?"

"A Persona?" Yosuke asked.

The Shadow had disappeared and a huge bear creature came out of it holding a rocket.

"Kintoki-Douji!" Rion muttered.

"Is this my Persona?" he asked.

Rise looked at him, "I can sense strong power from it. It's awesome, Teddie!"

Rise fell over onto her knees; she was tired from being the guide. No one could blame her. They staggered to her side.

"Whoa! Are you alright?" Chie asked, "Oh yeah, your persona just awakened, too. I'm so sorry. You must be so tired."

"We should go out of here as quickly as possible," Souji said.

"Chie, Yukiko, you should help her out…," Rion said.

The Persona-users headed out of the club, idol and pancake in-hand.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11  
I am butchering dialogue, battles, and s-links to get the novel version respectable. I can make characters more cynical, mean, out of character, and amusing. My character is "special" personality-wise.

I own nothing… including SMT and Persona.

Today, Rise is joining, and its blond Teddie time! We are slowly moving towards our first pairing. Rion will start a real rivalry shortly, and he's figured out something important, but won't tell anyone what he knows. He won't tell until canon game-time anyway. It's just beyond obvious that anyone would know… So, enjoy, hopefully…

One more thing, my chapters may slow down soon. Only for a week or two. Auf Wiedersehen.

* * *

When they got to the plaza, the group started looking over the teenager and the bear that was squashed from the club. They all seemed quite worn out and tired. If the blood running down Souji's arm because of a cut on his right shoulder did not prove it, maybe it was the large bird egg bruise on Yosuke's forehead. They were an amusing sight, if you liked looking at that sort of thing. Souji just wanted for Yukiko to heal them, but Yukiko doubted she had enough strength to heal everyone.

"Are you feeling okay, Rise-chan?" Yukiko asked, "We're almost outside."

She ignored her own woes and weariness, "I'm all right. I'm more worried about Teddie." She looked genuinely worried about the moving pancake.

Kanji was worried too, "You okay there? We gotta go back for now."

"Hey…," Yosuke said as Teddie had stopped by the right side of the plaza.

"My beautiful fur is all rough and coarse," Teddie told them, "And my nose hasn't been working too well either… So while I wait for my fur to grow back, I'm going to train hard!" He started doing crunches randomly as he jumped on the floor, "Nobody can stop moi! Here goes, huh!"

"You do that, Teddie," Rion said. He picked out a shard of ice that was still lodged in his leg.

Yosuke sweated as he asked the now exercising pancake, "What's gotten into you, Teddie?" He put his hand on his forehead, "Damn, this hurts…," he thought about his bruise.

"Don't, talk, to, me, please!" Teddie said to them during his workout, "One more set! Huh! Another one! Huh!"

"Leave the dude be," Kanji told them, "Comes a time when a man has to stand on his own two feet."

Chie looked at Yosuke, "Uh, I'm not sure this is one of those times."

"Yeah, I don't know," Souji replied.

"Well then, Chie and I will take Rise-chan home," Yukiko nodded.

"She'll need a lot of rest. We can talk after she has regained her strength," Souji said.

"Okay… Rest and recovery is top priority for everyone. We've all had a rather rough day," Rion told them. He just shook his head at the exercising bear.

Chie looked at the bear, "Well… um… Good luck, Teddie."

"Just kick back and wait for my wonderful comeback! Peace out!" Teddie yelled.

"Good luck, Teddie," Souji said as the others headed out through the three little TVs that they had to go in one limb at a time to get through.

"I said this before, but I sense something special about you… Sensei," Teddie said as Souji started to walk away, "There must be something only I can do. That's how I feel when I'm with Sensei. That's why I'm gonna get stronger. To find my special thing!" He growled.

"You do that," Souji said as he left.

"Here goes! Huh!" Teddie continued exercising as Souji stuck his right arm in the top TV.

When he left, Souji got comforting looks from the others at a job well done and headed back to his little sis' place. Souji even got a congratulatory remark from his favorite girl.

"Good job, Souji-kun," Yukiko smiled at him. It was taking everything she had not to blush.

"Thanks… you too," Souji smiled back. "Souji-kun? I hope Yosuke or Rion did not hear it," Souji thought, "Then again, I'm definitely using Rion jumping in front of Teddie's boom for Rise."

Nanako and Souji were sitting down for dinner when Ryotaro came home from work. Nanako shouted with Dojima's arrival, "He's back!" She ran to meet him at the door.

It was Adachi who was there first, however, and he was leading him in as he said, "Whoa there! Careful now, Dojima-san!"

"If Adachi is here," Souji thought, "Then Dojima has to be wasted." Souji could almost chuckle, but he didn't want to break the bandage on his shoulder.

"Ow!" Dojima exclaimed as he tripped over the entryway, "Dammit! Who built a shtep here!"

"That'd be the carpenters, Sir!" Adachi answered as he helped him and said, "C'mon, don't take your anger out on the house. That won't solve anything."

Adachi finally got through the entryway supporting Dojima on his shoulder. Souji got up with Nanako to help Adachi with Dojima.

"Whoo… I'm home, Nanako! I'm back!" Dojima exclaimed in a slurred voice. He waved in the direction of the true provider of the household.

"Welcome back…," Nanako said timidly.

Souji wondered if Drunk Dojima was commonplace and if Nanako was scared. "Should I be worried too?"

"Oh, hi Nanako-chan," Adachi said, "Sorry, but could you get his futon ready?"

She nodded and ran off to go get his futon ready for him to sleep in. Nanako would escape any scariness, leaving Souji and Adachi to his wrath.

As Adachi helped him to the couch, he said to Souji, who was still standing by, "Phew! I think he had a little too much to drink, haha."

Dojima complained with a slur, "How else am I supposed to deal with this crap, hic. Friggin' fancy talking kid."

"Must be that kid that Rion is always freakin' out about," Souji thought, "I'll have to tell him about this."

"I've been in this line'a work… since you were all learin' yers times tables," Dojima complained from the couch. He was slumped down, his legs bent.

Adachi explained to Souji, "The prefectural police sent in special investigational support. 'Cause you know, we haven't really made any progress on those serial murder cases since they started in April, haha. So this special support is supposedly some hot-shot detective from a well-known private agency. "

"I know, we've seen him before," Souji thought, "I'll tell Rion that my uncle's department is bringing in that kid. I wonder what Kanji will think. I probably should not tell him. He'd probably be even worse." He had a memory of the time they had done surveillance the day before Kanji was kidnapped, and Souji shuddered.

"But you should have the seen the look on my face when I met him. He's only a kid your age! I hear he's a pretty sharp cookie though," Adachi explained.

Dojima wasn't convinced and rebuked Adachi, "Aww… He's a brat like any other. Ain't nothin' he can do to help hic. He goes on and on about deductions and deductions… Heh. Ace or no ace, the prefeckshure oughtta be more careful in giving us brats to babysit. Condes… Consdesing' bashterds… hic."

Adachi said to Souji, "The kid said, as long as he can be of assistance is solving a difficult case, he won't require a reward. Well, you can imagine the shine the higher-ups took to him after that. So we can't exactly turn him down."

"Adachi!" Dojima yelled at the defective.

Adachi shied back as he apologized meekly, "Sorry! Me and my big mouth…"

"You run your mouth like this is all shome kinda joke," Dojima lectured, "It's your fault to begin with, for jumping the gun and hauling in that Peeping Tom!"

"Oh… Haha… Umm," Adachi laughed nervously.

"And you!" Dojima turned his face towards Souji and went off on him, "You'cn take your shame of the blame too. Always wandering around crime scenes whenever somethin' happens."

"I have a reason to be there," Souji thought, "At least we don't suck, unlike you. We're actually doing something about this."

Nanako ran up to Adachi and Souji, "His futon's ready."

"Finally… We can get him to bed," Souji thought thankfully.

Adachi helped Dojima to his feet, "Alright Dojima-san, up and at'em. Nanako-chan has your futon all ready for you." Adachi supported him and walked him up as Dojima mumbled about something.

"…. Sure does stink like sake in here," Nanako complained.

"I agree, Nanako," Souji said, "It's pretty nasty. "Though, I could use some after seeing what I saw and doing what I did today," Souji thought.

Souji got some much needed rest that night as he went up to his room. Two peoples' Shadows in one day, "Not a good day," he thought. Not having to bother with rescuing someone the next day was nice.

School was still annoying. "Take the good with the bad," Souji thought as he headed towards school. He still wasn't really thinking that as he got the question which was the real river. He decided to ask the one who always knew everything.

"Hey, Rion, what's the answer?"

"Pis Pis…"

"Really?"

"Yeah, now go say it."

Souji answered and got praised. He felt bad cause Rion always got really hard questions too, but oh well, that wasn't his problem. He hung out with Rion then to make up for it and they talked around Junes. Souji would have rather lit a bag of poo at King Moron's place. "You know, I bet Rion probably would do that with me. He probably knows where Moron lives," Souji thought.

"Hey Rion," Souji said as they were at Junes.

"Hmm?" Rion looked at the leader.

"Do you know where King Moron lives?" Souji asked.

"Yes…, why?" Rion responded.

"I have an idea…," Souji said with a smirk.

"And that would be…," Rion tilted his head at Souji's comment.

Friday was rather boring, but he hung out with Kanji. They made sock puppets together. "Now I know why he gets ridiculed," Souji thought, "But it is pretty interesting to go sewing."

On, Saturday, he fell asleep in class again until he got yelled at by Sofue. He wanted to play basketball, but they did not have enough players for a game. So, Souji and Daisuke started recruiting and blackmailing people to play for next time.

Sunday, he hung out with Miss emo (aka) Yumi, Daisuke, and Kou. That made for one awkward meal at Aiya. At least he felt smarter after that.

The next school week started with Souji helping Yosuke with reasoning skills. The King of Morons was not mad at him, at least. He noticed, that his pants still smelled like dog poo. He chuckled.

Yukiko had brought him to a grocery store, and went on and on about how she worked on her cooking skills.

"Even though I want to do this by myself, they keep trying to take the knives away from me," Yukiko said.

"They should let you do this on your own," Souji said.

"That's what Kasai said," Yukiko nodded.

"What'd she say," Souji said curiously.

"Let her make it on her own. If she wants to make a dish for a boy she likes, then let her do it," Yukiko was blushing like mad.

Souji was struck speechless. "If Rion was here to hear this… or Yosuke," Souji thought.

It probably would be worse if Yosuke heard it. Rion probably wouldn't say anything except to him; Yosuke would probably make a huge fuss to everyone in general.

"Hey! Big bro! Why are you eating the pudding I made?" Nanako asked after she got home from a friend's house.

Souji had wanted a snack, and had must not have seen the label "Nanako's pudding" on the top.

"Well…," he started with an awkward explanation, but he felt courageous enough to try and lie his way out of it, "You see… I umm…"

"So, you ate my pudding! That was for Dad!" Nanako looked slightly mad for once.

"….," Souji could not say anything, especially after what happened early today.

His stomach suddenly didn't feel good from what he had just consumed. Nanako's pudding she had made at school… must have been missing an ingredient.

"Sorry, gotta go!" Souji said, as he threw up all over the floor before he could run over to the restroom.

"Eww…," Nanako said, "My pudding is all over the floor!"

Dojima got home before they could clean up the mess, "Who threw up all over the kitchen?!"

That Wednesday he made lunch for Yukiko, which she loved. "I wish I made food like this," she said, "My food isn't as good as you make." She pouted at first jokingly, but she blushed. "Can you teach me?"

He got some question about the Man-Yoshu poems that day from Hosoi. The answer was some long-winded person, and he didn't feel like answering, so Souji didn't.

Friday was rainy, so nothing happened of importance beyond Nanako attempting to burn the house down by "trying" to make fried chicken. Saturday, he was supposed to watch the Midnight Channel to see if Rise was thrown back in. Souji hoped that didn't happen.

"Today ended on a wet note, and expect the fog to roll in," the weather lady said.

"Blah blah…," Souji said, "It'll be foggy overnight, and by the end of tomorrow, it won't."

"You don't like the weathergirl?" Nanako asked.

"The meteorologist is just very repetitive," Souji said as he headed upstairs, "The fog always rolls in after a few days of rain. It's like we're not expecting for it to come in."

Souji made sure it was still raining as Midnight approached. Sure enough, as the clock struck 12 a.m., the yellow screen came on. And sure enough, no one was on. "What a surprise," Souji thought.

The 10th would be a day where they would meet up with Rise. They decided they would meet up at the Electronics Department of Junes first. They noticed something even though was no Rise murder. There would be a huge problem.

"Did you hear yet?" Chie said from the phone.

"No?" Souji said, confused.

"They found a dead body just outside the shopping district," Chie said, "I don't get it! I mean…" Chie was at a loss.

"Calm down," Souji said.

"We're all meeting at Junes… Come right away…," Chie told Souji.

That's why the meeting with Teddie would be important. Everyone was there except Yosuke.

"Youske went to check out the scene, he should be back soon," Chie said.

"Yeah, it was murder, alright," Yosuke said when he got back, "The body was hanging upside down on an apartment roof railing."

"How could that be…?" Yukiko asked.

"That's not all. The victim was King Moron," Yosuke confirmed.

They all stood up at that. It seemed to be quite a shock to all.

"No freakin' way!" Souji thought.

"King Moron?" Chie asked in surprise.

"You mean Senpai's teacher?" Kanji asked.

"Why?" Souji asked.

"It certainly isn't very logical," Rion said. He shook his head.

"What on earth is going on here!?" Chie yelled.

"How am I supposed to know? I talked to a guy who saw it," Yosuke said.

Kanji said, "Gotta be shitting me. I thought they target people on TV. I never see King Moron on TV or the Midnight Channel."

"I don't understand why this happened," Souji said.

"I thought we finally figured something out. Was it all just some big coincidence?" Chie asked.

Yukiko muttered in annoyance, "Maybe the Midnight Channel doesn't have anything to do with it."

"Dammit, we came so far, and now we're back to square one!" Yosuke yelled, "Were we in over our heads? Trying to catch a killer not even the police could catch?"

"Are we so sure? We don't know anything about the details yet," Rion said.

"It's too early to give up, just like Rion said," Souji tried to calm it down.

"Damn straight!" Kanji yelled, "We started this thing cause the police can't tell their asses from their elbows. We give up now and this shithead is gonna run lose forever. This ain't the time for bitchin' and moaning. We just got keep on keepin' on."

"Inspiration from Kanji," Souji chuckled. "He's right though…," Souji thought.

"Kanji-kun…," Yukiko said.

"Big talk from someone like you, Kanji," Yosuke said.

Kanji was surprised, "What's that supposed'ta mean?"

Yosuke sighed, "I know. We're dealing with a murderer here, but we've all risked our lives to get this far. No way we'll back down. And we promised the bear too."

"Hey, that's right. Maybe Teddie knows something," Chie conjectured.

"Let's go see him, then," Souji said.

The group got up and started walking towards the televisions and away from the food.

When they got to the Elec. Department, they were surprised. There was actual staff there by the Electronic Department. "What is staff doing here?" Souji wondered.

"Huh, there is staff here?" Chie asked.

"Now that's unusual," Yosuke said. He walked up to the staff, "Hi there! Did something unusual happen?"

"Ah, Yosuke-kun!" a female staff member tried to get Yosuke's attention.

"Great timing! Did the manager tell you anything about this? There's been this weird mascot around the department for a while now. Is there some kind of campaign on today?" a male staff member asked.

"Mascot?" Yosuke asked. He was confused.

Souji wondered to himself, "I think I know what this is about… and this is bad."

"He said his name was Terry? Eddie?" the male one was trying to think of its name. "Well, there are no customers around so I guess it's fine. I better get back to my station." They walked away from the department.

"Please don't tell me…," Yosuke said worriedly.

"Whoa! He's here!" Chie yelled as she looked to her left.

"What! Teddie's here?" Souji exclaimed. His worst fears had come true. Well not his worst fears, but he had thought something like this would happen, and it did.

Teddie was in a massage chair by the Electronic Department. It looked like he was having a good time.

"What are you doing here?" Souji asked.

"Aaaah, this really hits the spot!" Teddie exclaimed.

"What the… I mean how did you?" Yosuke asked in amazement.

"It took you guys long enough. I've been waiting," Teddie said.

Yukiko asked, "Teddie, are you okay on this side?"

"How did you even leave your side?" Kanji wondered.

"Of course I can come out. There's an exit," Teddie said.

"That does make perfect sense after all," Rion said. He pushed up his glasses.

"It just never occurred to me to do it before. But spending time with you guys sparked my curiosity about this world. I did wonder if it was a good idea, but my feet started moving before I could decide. And when I thought about it, I had nowhere to go, and it was a waste to go back. So, I waited here for you guys. Oh, someone asked for my name, so I told them I'm Teddie," Teddie explained to all of them.

Chie said with a sigh, "So that's why."

"Oh yeah, there's something we need to ask you," Yukiko said, "How long have you been here, Teddie? Did anyone enter the other world?" It was a question that all of them wanted answered.

"I stayed until the fog entered into my side, but no one came," Teddie said frankly.

Yosuke asked, "You're positive? You really didn't sense a single person?"

"I just said that I didn't. I was all by myself, like always," Teddie responded.

"And your nose wasn't clogged or anything?" Yosuke asked.

"Aren't you listening? I was utterly, totally, and 100% alone. That's why I came here. But I can understand if you don't believe me. My senses aren't that good lately anyways," Teddie berated Yosuke.

"I believe you, Teddie. You were all alone," Souji said.

"Oh! Sensei's heart is radiating with pure gold!" Teddie said.

"Well, it's true that the Midnight Channel was blank last night," Chie said reluctantly, "And even before that, Teddie said he didn't sense anything, right? Does that mean, King Moron was never on that side?"

"Then we don't know what's going on," Souji said.

"Hey, hey, I wanna go somewhere!" Teddie exclaimed as he jumped off the chair.

"Huh? Now ain't the time, dude… You really don't plan on going back, do you?" Kanji asked, "Where do you wanna go anyways?"

"I wanna give this to Rise-chan! It's for her!" Teddie said.

He took a pair of Teddie glasses from his side and showed them to the group. Teddie gave them to Souji.

"Rise-chan will probably back us up from now on. So I'm gonna fight alongside you with everything I got! Don't think of me as the same little cute Teddie! I'm an all new model. I have a powerful attack, an unbeatable defense, and a winning smile! Today begins the New Legend of Teddie!" Teddie gave his passionate speech.

"Wow! A new legend…," Yukiko said in awe.

"I don't know if this is a good thing," Rion said as he rolled his eyes.

"Uh-oh, people are starting to stare," Yosuke warned, "Will you keep it down, Ted? C'mon, let's go somewhere else."

As they got to their table to talk, Teddie was the main focus of the conversation. Well, that and the murder of King Moron.

"Let's get this all settled," Rion said, "This will be pretty much pointless anyways. But let's get all the facts together."

"Okay, just to make sure, I'm going to ask one last time," Yosuke was going to ask, "Nobody was over there, except for you, when the fog came back, correct?"

"That's what I've been saying!" Teddie said again.

"He was a no-show on the Midnight Channel," Rion said, "Unless he was turned into yellow fog."

Kanji asked, "What's up with that?"

Souji said, "I think we know that King Moron was not thrown into the TV."

"Then, what, he was killed over on this side?" Chie wondered, "Why not throw him over here like all the rest?"

"They never intended to," Souji said.

"You mean they never intended to?" Yosuke asked, "So you're saying he wasn't like the other victims to begin with? But why?"

"Maybe the culprit thought he couldn't kill anymore people by throwing them into the TV," Yukiko suggested, "I mean, we prevented the last three attempts in a row."

"Ahh… I get you. That could be it," Chie said.

"So, they snuffed someone on our side to make sure it worked," Kanji said.

"That is one theory, but we would have to take a look at the body, which we won't get, and we would have to question the culprit, whom we haven't cornered," Rion said.

"If that's true, we have no way of preventing the murders unless we catch the killer, dammit!" Kanji yelled.

"We need more clues," Chie said.

"That, I agree with," Souji said, "There's too much we still don't know."

"I wonder if Rise-chan is up and around yet." Chie wondered.

"Yeah… We'll have to put our hopes on her," Yosuke responded.

"It's so hot out here," Teddie said all of a sudden.

"Yeah, it's a hot day," Rion agreed with Teddie, "The humidity is above-average."

"I'm taking this off!" Teddie exclaimed, talking about his bear suit.

"What!" Souji said, "Aren't you empty inside?"

"Kids will be scarred for life if they see an empty mascot walking around!" Yosuke exclaimed.

Yukiko said cheerfully, "I'm glad you're back to normal though. Your fur is all fuzzy again."

"Can I feel it?" Kanji asked.

"Not again," Rion thought.

"No!" Teddie rebuked then said happily, "Actually, I'm no longer a hollow bear!" Teddie said happily, "I trained and trained, hoping someday to score with Chie-chan and Yuki-chan… And now I finally have an inside."

"Yeah… Good job with that," Chie said sarcastically.

"Only through me, will you even touch Yukiko," Souji thought.

"Come on! Can't we give it a rest with the whole scoring thing?" Yukiko glared at the bear as she said scathingly.

Souji was glaring at the bear as well, Yosuke was too. Rion and Kanji just shrugged.

"Dude, you're hollow! Taking your head off isn't going to cool you down," Yosuke said.

"But I just told you, I'm not hollow anymore," Teddie told Yosuke, "Agh! It's too hot! I can't take it anymore!"

He started to remove his head, unzipping the top… and inside was a blond-haired teenager-like boy. Teddie grabbed a soda and downed it one gulp. It was Rion's soda.

"Whoa… What the hell?" Yosuke yelled.

"There's a body inside!" Souji exclaimed.

"Much better!" Teddie sighed in relief.

"No way!" Chie was in disbelief.

"Now that hit the spot!" Teddie said in relief.

"That was mine…," Rion muttered about his drink.

The human Teddie stared at the girls.

"Hey Chie-chan, Yuki-chan…," Teddie said seductively.

"Yes…?" Chie wondered. She was still confused in how he had an inside.

"Do you have anything to wear? I'm basically like a newborn at the moment," Teddie told her with the same voice.

"Teddie, is that really you?" Chie asked.

"Umm…," Yukiko was speechless. She didn't expect Teddie to have someone or something inside of him either.

"Wait, did you say you were like a newborn?" Chie asked, a little freaked, "Then don't take the bottom part off," she blushed and said worriedly, "You need some clothes right? C'mon, let's go look around."

Chie and Yukiko went off to take Teddie clothes shopping throughout the upper levels of Junes.

"That's Teddie?" Kanji asked, "He said he's not hollow anymore, so he like grew himself a body in there." Kanji seemed to be a little surprised himself.

"What kinda creature would do that?" Yosuke asked.

"Teddie would," Souji responded, "He wanted to be able to interact with us more often."

"Well then, what is he?" Yosuke asked.

"I think we all know the answer to that," Rion said, "A pervert."

"It's not like this is the weirdest thing we've seen here," Souji said.

"I gotta admit, it's better than him walking around in his bear suit," Yosuke said, "Oh, hey, weren't we going to see about talking to Rise? I was so shocked I lost track of what we were talking about."

"I think anyone would," Souji said, "Who wouldn't with a thing like Teddie growing a human in it."

"Let's head over to Rise's place, then. Teddie is with the girls. She should be fine," Yosuke said.

Rion shook his head as he muttered, "We should hope he does not get into too much trouble. He is with the girls."

They started off towards Rise's tofu shop, but beforehand, Souji went home to change into something more comfortable.

When Souji was finished changing, Kanji, Souji, Yosuke, and Rion stopped by Shiroku. They were all eating Topsicles. Souji's tongue was frozen from the cold ice on his tongue. "I cansh talsh," Souji was trying to say.

"Mmm… It's finally the season for Topsicles again," Kanji smiled with juice running down his hand.

"Dude, how many are you going to eat? You're going to get a stomachache!" Yosuke asked Kanji.

"He's eating till he explodes," Souji said, chuckling with his tongue finally unstuck. He had stopped eating.

The girls walked up, and Chie said, "Sorry, we're late."

"How long did it take you to find clothes for Ted?" Yosuke asked.

Teddie walked forwards in blue flaring pants, and a white button shirt that flared at the collar …

"He is dressed like a freakin' Frenchman," Rion muttered.

"Whoa' is that you, Teddie?" Yosuke asked.

"Oui, monsieur! How do I look?" Teddie asked.

Rion shook his head and said, "Je ne sais pas. Il est voyant." He looked at Teddie, "I do suggest you stop trying to speak Français"

"You look great!" Souji said sarcastically.

"Don't encourage him," Chie shook her head and said, "I have to say, it totally blew my mind, but he's Teddie alright. This guy had to make it a huge ordeal. Everything was new to him, so it turned into a big mess. He was so excited in the women's section that he started blabbering."

She started lecturing him as she looked at him, "Hey, you can't just do whatever you please when you're in this form, okay?"

Yosuke muttered and asked, "Did he get into the lingerie?"

Teddie looked at his feet in shame.

Yukiko was nicer as she explained, "Well, he can't help it. It's his first time in our world."

Chie sighed, "All right, you don't need to get all mopey about it. I never said I wouldn't forgive you."

Teddie started looking happy again as he said with all smiles, "I'm so glad! I was worried that you didn't like me anymore."

"Man… If you can behave yourself, you'll be pretty cute," Chie chuckled.

"Don't encourage him," Yosuke said, but he asked, "Is he cute? What do you think, Kanji?"

Kanji looked confused, "Huh? What're you asking me for?"

"Well, I was just wondering if he was your type," Yosuke wondered.

"Ohh… I get it!" Kanji said. He went on to say, "What you're really asking is "Will you please beat the shit out of me, Kanji?""

"Snrk…," Yukiko started laughing like crazy again. She was holding her sides and laughing.

"You got to be kidding me," Souji started to say.

"It ain't funny, Yukiko-senpai!" Kanji told her.

"She obviously thinks otherwise," Rion said. He shook his head.

"S-sorr… hehe," Yukiko was still laughing.

"You'll have to forgive Yukiko. She's helpless once she gets this way," Chie apologized to Kanji.

"Oooh… Please everyone! Don't fight over me, baby!" Teddie put in to Kanji.

"Shuddup! You picking a fight with me!?" Kanji yelled at the bear-human thingy.

Teddie shut up.

"It's best to stay quiet," Souji thought.

"Ahahahahaha!" Yukiko's laughing was out of control.

"Geez… oh well," Yosuke was resigned towards Kanji. He handed a 1000-yen bill to Kanji, "Here, Kanji. Get whatever ice cream you want, just share it with Teddie. We're gonna head for the tofu shop. Wait here until we get back."

Teddie exclaimed, "Wow, you're rich!"

"No, he isn't," Souji thought, "I make more money selling teeth from licking Shadows."

Kanji looked nervous as he responded, "I can't just take this from you."

Yosuke reasoned, "Think of it as a welcome-back party for Teddie. Just don't go around making a racket." He told Kanji and Teddie to not cause trouble.

"Good luck with that," Souji thought.

Chie looked at Yukiko and back to Yosuke, "Whoa, Yosuke, what's gotten into you? You're acting like a real senpai all of a sudden. Oh I get it. You might say differently, but you're still nice to Teddie." She praised him, "I'm glad Yosuke's developing into such a mature adult. Someone who doesn't let trifles bother him."

"Here it comes," Souji thought, "What happened…"

Yosuke looked worried, "What…? You're worrying me, Chie."

"Oh, it's about Teddie's clothes, that's all. We didn't have the money for them, so we charged the rest to you," Chie brushed it off like it was nothing.

"Charge?" Yosuke was speechless. He went from speechless to rage in a second as he exploded at the martial artist, "WHAT!? You put it on my account! What the hell, Chie!? I never said you could do that."

Chie yelled back, "What else were we supposed to do!? That stuff was expensive, even for Junes."

"You seriously charged it to me?" Yosuke didn't want to believe it as he said, "Why did you do that? You know I've been saving up for a motorcycle."

"Oh, that. You don't need one," Chie told him frankly.

"What!?" Yosuke yelled.

"C'mon, baby. Stop fighting over…," Teddie started to say.

Yosuke yelled at Teddie, "Shuddup! This is your fault, y'know!" He growled and pointed at Teddie's clothes like it was his fault because he grew a body, "You listen here Ted. You better take really, really, REALLY good care of that. If you put even a single tear in it, I'll make the next set of clothes out of the bear hide you took off." Teddie put his head down.

As Chie and Yosuke started fighting and yelling, Rion went in to break it up. That involves lifting both of them up and grabbing them by the scruffs of their necks and lifting them from each other.

"I'll let you use my motorcycle, Yosuke, only if you and Chie stop trying to kill each other," Rion said.

If only that had stopped Chie and Yosuke from fighting… It didn't.

"Yo, Teddie, don't let it get you down," Kanji told him through Chie and Yosuke's yelling, "Let's go get some Topsicles."

As Rion held Yosuke and Chie away from each other, Teddie ran away with Kanji to get them some Topsicles.

"Let's go on ahead, they look like they'll be a while," Yukiko told Souji.

"Alright," Souji said, "I don't know if it'll end anytime soon." Souji thought, "It isn't."

"Fine, if you wish to continue fighting, then you may do so," Rion said as he let them go. "Let's go," he said as he walked off to join Souji and Yukiko towards the tofu shop.

The three of them walked to the front of the tofu shop, only to see the small boy that Dojima was muttering drunkenly about earlier. The boy walked out of the shop and noticed them as the three did likewise.

"Ahh… I had a feeling you would come," the boy said.

"Oh shit, I know what's bugging me now." Rion thought, "I finally know why I'm so annoyed…"

"You're…," Yukiko said to the boy.

He walked forward to the group and said to them, "Are you here to ingratiate yourself with Rise Kujikawa now?"

Rion rolled his eyes as they flashed in rage again, "Why would we have to curry favor with her?" He said it as if it was as common as day.

Naoto looked at Rion funny, as Naoto had noticed Rion's funny look.

"Geez… Why did the clerk even let them charge it to someone else's account?" Yosuke asked to himself as he walked up with Chie. He noticed the boy as well, "Huh? Wait, you're that guy we saw with Kanji!"

"Precisely," he said to the group, "I don't believe we've met since then. In fact, I don't believe I've even introduced myself." He said, "My name is Naoto Shirogane. I'm investigating the multiple murders that have occurred here."

"Could it be? It has to be. Then that would mean that… Oh shit!" Rion's brain was going a mile a minute, "What a freakin' joke. The voice… The effin voice! How can they not see that!? Then looking at… you got to be kidding me." Rion had to use every ounce of his control not to lash out and yell.

He was interested in them, "Mind if I ask you a few questions on the subject? The latest victim, Kinshiro Morooka… He was a teacher at the school you all attend, correct?"

"That is correct," Souji said.

"So, what are you getting at?" Chie asked.

"The public is focused on the fact that he is associated with the second victim's school… But in truth, that's irrelevant," Naoto said, "What intrigues me is the inconsistency. This Morooka… has never appeared on television."

The group pretty much looked in shock, "Well, the person is a detective," Rion thought, "Honesty my ass, however…"

"What do you make of that?" Naoto asked.

Yosuke answered nervously, "How are we supposed to know?"

"Well, we'll leave it at that," Naoto said. As the detective walked off, Naoto told them, "For my part, I would like to solve this case as quickly as possible. I'll be keeping an eye on you all. Well then, until we meet again."

"Who is that guy?" Yosuke asked.

"A detective that was hired by the prefectural police that was sent here to solve this case because our current police detectives are inadequate," Souji answered.

"How do you know?" Yosuke asked.

"My uncle," Souji said. Souji saw that Rion looked like he was about to kill someone, and he attributed it to the kid. He would definitely have to discuss it with Rion. But, something seemed different this time. It was like Rion had figured out something, and it pissed Rion off.

"It felt like he completely saw through us. He even knew about the TV thing," Chie said.

As they were lamenting over the fact that Naoto had saw right through them. Rise walked up behind them and scared them.

"Oh… Hi," Rise said in a long orange shirt that ended in flair, and tight white cargos.

"Rise-chan!" Yukiko said vehemently, "Are you okay now?"

"Good, good," Yosuke said.

"You are so obsessive with her," Chie thought.

"Are you all here to check up on me?" Rise asked.

"I guess so," Souji said.

"Well, yeah," Yosuke added.

"Oh, um… Do you guys have a moment?" she asked the group, "There's something I want to tell you. Follow me. My grandma is taking care of the shop today."

"Huh? Sure, okay," Yosuke said.

Rion just said, "As you wish." He had calmed down by now, pushed everything out of his mind.

What was there of the group followed Rise to the Tatsuhime Shrine. The group idly chatted on the way to the shrine. Mainly making sure Rise was okay. She stopped at the back of the shrine to talk to the rest of them.

"Yeah, I remember being at my house," Rise said about her kidnapping, "When I came to, though, I was already in the other world."

Chie looked exasperated, "Still no real information of the killer."

"We met this weird kid named Naoto a second ago," Yosuke said.

Rise told them, "Oh… He's come to the shop several times. He asked me a lot about the incident. I didn't tell him anything about the other world, though. I figured it'd be a waste of time. Actually, he asked me about you guys too, but I just made some stuff up."

"Oh, really," Souji said.

Rise nodded, "Like, they found me unconscious on the roof at Junes."

Rion looked at her and said, "I guess that's pretty accurate, given the circumstances."

Rise looked at her feet, "Um… so…"

Chie asked her, "Hmm… What's up?

"Umm… I really appreciate what you did for me," Rise said slowly. She suddenly got really giddy and changed her attitude completely and she said, "Thank you so much! I love you guys!"

They looked surprised at the change in personality, but happy.

"That's nice," Souji thought.

"Huh? Aww, you don't have to thank us," Chie said.

Yosuke blushed, "Dude… She's so cute!"

Chie glared at him and was staring daggers at the Junes apprentice.

"Man, it's finally hitting me that you're the real deal. You really are Risette."

Rise explained, "Well, I know I sounded all gloomy and all from stress, so I thought… You might not like me that way," She looked at them, "Do I sound weird?" She then said, "Oh, but I guess it sounds more natural this way to the public. I'm sorry, I've practically lost touch what the normal me is like."

"Haha, no need to apologize. Just do what comes naturally," Chie said.

"We're a weird bunch, so whatever is normal to you is probably incredibly weird," Rion said.

"You're not kidding," Souji thought.

Yukiko told her, "I think everyone has multiple sides to them. You don't have to force yourself to decide on just one."

Chie laughed, "It sounds convincing when Yukiko says it."

"That's because Yukiko said it," Souji said.

"Souji!" Chie yelled.

"Huh? Really?" Yukiko wondered.

"Thanks," Rise said. She chuckled, "I'm glad you were the first people I got to know here."

"Oh yeah, we almost forgot your present. The Teddie Glasses," Chie said, "Um… you don't have to take them, but… Well…"

Souji gave her the glasses, but as he was going to Rise asked, "Senpai? Would you be struggling without my help? I can help you in that world, right? With my power… So wouldn't it be better if I joined the team?"

He nodded and handed her the glasses as Souji told him, "Well, we don't have anyone who can sense the enemies anymore."

"Its proof that you are part of the team," Yosuke said.

"When you aren't using your Persona, it's the only way you'll be able to see through the fog," Rion said.

"I see. I do remember you all wearing glasses over there," She pointed at Rion, "Well, he wears them here, too. Anyways… Thanks, Senpai! Now, I'm part of the team, too!"

"Only fools rush blindly into a fight anyways," Rion thought.

Rise said, "I'll be going to Yasogami High, starting tomorrow. But I don't have any friends yet, so don't ignore me, alright?" She blushed, "I do owe you my life, so… you know."

"You can leave it to me," Souji said,

"Wow, I didn't realize you were so cool, Senpai," Rise said.

"This sure is a rough time to transfer here, though," Yosuke told them.

Souji said simply, "Just kidnappings, King Moron's death, plus the fact that exams are coming soon."

"Exams!" Yosuke said, "Now I'm depressed too. I wonder if there is any chance they'll be canceled."

"I doubt it. They always hold exams, rain or shine," Chie said.

"One teacher's death will not deter the faculty from holding the exams. They are simply too important. Besides, they have national standards to uphold," Rion said simply.

"Damn, Rion!" Yosuke put his head down, "You keep making it worse…,"

Rise chuckled, "I almost got killed by all those monsters. Compared to that, exams are nothing."

"Alrighty then, let's discuss this case some more tomorrow at our special headquarters," Yosuke said.

"It's still called that?" Souji asked.

"I guess," Rion said, "I don't set the rules here."

Kanji had come up while they were talking to Rise and after she had gotten all giddy.

"Yo, how's it going?" Kanji asked as he walked up, "Dude, Teddie ate five Topsicles. Though if you count the ones I had before, that makes six, so I still win."

"This matters why?" Souji asked.

"You know no one asked…," Yosuke said.

"We're all done talking already," Rise told Kanji. "Let's go Senpai!" She told Souji as she put her arm around his.

"Is she hitting on me?" Souji thought, "That's not going to look good on my chances with Yukiko."

Yukiko was glaring at Rise.

"Was this a good thing?" Souji thought.

"Uhh… When did you get so chipper?" Kanji asked Rise.

Rise asked Kanji, "Do you go to Yasogami, like Senpai? I'll be starting school there tomorrow, so I hope we get along too."

"Huh? Oh... cool," Kanji said as he asked, "Uhh… What grade are you in?"

Yukiko who was glaring at Rise, started laughing all of a sudden, "Snrk…" Her personality had changed just like that.

Yosuke ignored her completely as he asked Kanji, "So, where's Teddie?"

"He's over there, finishing his fifth Topsicle. What are we going to do with him?" Kanji asked.

"We should let him get a headache," Rion said, "One of us has to put him up. Not a girl mind you… That would be a catastrophe." Souji most definitely agreed with that scenario.

Yosuke sighed, "I guess I'll take him home."

After they left, Rion and Souji talked at the shrine before the fox attacked them.

"So, I guess you got a new admirer," Rion said.

"I don't know if I want one," Souji said, "Yukiko looked pissed."

Rion looked at him, "You still going for Yukiko? I know she likes you."

"I am, and I know. What about you?" Souji asked.

"I could care less, right now. If I ever feel like it, I'll take the opportunity," Rion said.

"Well, you seem to put yourself on a limb to help people often enough. You were awfully quiet when Naoto was talking to us, and during Rise's conversation," Souji told him.

Rion shook his head, "There is just something that I think I figured out now. I think all of you should figure it out on your own. Rise's Persona is far too important to go to waste, and we can let the detective run around for now. Naoto is harmless for the moment," Rion told the leader.

"Naoto's harmless?" Souji looked confused. "What the hell is Rion talking about?" Souji thought.

"Don't ask…," Rion said, "Just think on it. Use your grey matter."

"Right… Well, I'm beginning to think that the others will believe you are too quiet," Souji advised him.

"And you aren't? You're supposed to be leading when Yosuke never shuts up," Rion said back.

"That's true… Yosuke never shuts up," Souji chuckled.

Rion and Souji continued chatting a little before leaving and heading back.

After going home, and greeting Nanako with "Good evening, little sis." They made some dinner, courtesy of Souji's excellent cooking skills. During dinner, they watched the news.

"Good evening, this is Niteline News. Our top story for the night concerns the latest developments in an ongoing story," The announcer said, "The serial murder case has claimed a third victim. The news shocked local residents, who has not seen another murder in three months, and had assumed the spree had reached its end."

"Only because we're saving peoples' asses," Souji thought.

"The deceased taught at a local high school. Since his body was arranged in a similar matter as the last two victims."

"What's wrong?" Nanako asked innocently, "What was it someone you know?"

"My teacher…," Souji said.

"He died?" Nanako asked worriedly. She seemed scared.

"Don't worry," Souji calmed her down, "They'll catch them."

"I'm all right," Nanako said, a little more at ease.

The announcer started talking again, "This marks the second consecutive death after Saki Konishi's, where the target was involved with Yasogami High. Mr. Morooka was known for his strict teaching methods, and is said to have had constant friction with his students. The police will be pursuing this line of inquiry, and are planning to begin a large-scale investigation starting tomorrow. We now turn to our reporter at the scene for more details."

Nanako said, "Dad won't be coming home again today." She looked sad.

Souji decided to show a magic trick. He detached one of his fingers from his hand, and put it on his other.

"Huh? Do it again! Do it again!" Nanako demanded.

This time he did it with the opposite hand.

"It moved!" Nanako said in disbelief, "Hey! How did you do that? Tell me!"

Nanako seemed happy again.

"That's good. An unhappy Nanako would be annoying. She probably wouldn't wake me up," Souji thought. He went over to reattach his fingers… just kidding.

Unfortunately, his sleep was interrupted by the Velvet Room. He got some shit about making more complicated fusions. "Great, so I can make me some Trumpeter? Wait, what the hell is a Trumpeter?" he thought, "I'll have to ask Rion, I guess."

On the way to school, he talked to Yosuke…

"I can't believe our homeroom teacher is killed," Yosuke said.

"Even Moron didn't deserve that kind of detention," Souji said.

"I couldn't really sleep last night," Yosuke said, "You okay?"

"I'm okay, I guess," Souji said.

Yosuke responded, "Well, if we get depressed, we can't catch the killer."

"That's true," Souji said.

"I wonder who our new homeroom teacher is?" Yosuke asked.

"Hopefully someone better than King Moron," Souji wished.

"Yeah, I don't think they can find anyone worse than him," Yosuke said.

They met Rion at the gate.

Souji had something to ask.

"Rion, what's a Trumpeter?" Souji asked and Yosuke looked confused.

"A Trumpeter?" Rion looked at him oddly, "The angel of judgment that sounds the horns when the world is about to end?"

"Okay, thanks," Souji nodded.

"Alright…," Rion looked slightly confused at Souji's questioning.

The three just talked randomly until they got to homeroom, which was bustling about King Moron's death.

"Hey is that stuff about King Moron real?"

"It was on TV! It must be true."

The door opened, and in came the skanky-looking woman. She was wearing a black button-up with the top few buttons undone. Her purple vest was ugly, and her pants seemed out of date. She looked down at the students, exposing the chest skin of her shirt for all.

"Good mornin'," the skank said, "I'm Noriko Kashiwagi, your new homeroom class teacher starting today. You all probably know already, but now that Mr. Morooka has passed away… I'll be taking good care of you, instead." She sounded like a skank too.

"What the hell is wrong with this lady?" Souji whispered to everyone.

"Okay, why don't we start with a moment of silence for Mr. Morooka. Close your eyes, everyone," Kashiwagi commanded.

Everyone pretended to close their eyes and pretended to care.

"That should be enough," Kashiwagi said oddly seductively, after about five seconds. She continued by saying in the same odd seductive voice, "I'll do my best to fill Mr. Morooka's shoes. So our regular exams are still on track for next week."

A groan filled the classroom.

"It's like your principal said… It's times like these when the schedule is most important, Nori-chan," She giggled, "It must be tough for you. But that's what it means to become an adult, little by little."

"I already can't stand her," one student said.

"First King Moron, now Kashiwagi…? How much worse can it get?" another asked.

"Oh and one more thing…," Kashiwagi said, "That idol in our first-year class… Miss Kujikawa, was it?" Her voice turned vicious, "In person, she's nothing like she seems on TV, so don't get your hopes up, mmkay? What's so great about an idol anyway, right class? She's just a piece of inexperienced jailbait." Kashiwaga continued to go on about Kujikawa.

A student said, "What's up with her? Does she think she's Risette's rival?"

"She doesn't stand a chance against Risette. I heard Kashiwagi is on the wrong side of forty," another one said.

"I bet King Moron would have been ecstatic to hear Risette had enrolled here. Someone told me they saw him buying her pinup book."

"That sounds kind of pervy. He annoyed the hell out of me, but I feel bad that he got killed."

The student said, "Oh, did you hear? Risette was on a striptease show!"

The group noticed that pretty quickly and looked at each other. Souji saw Rion shake his head and Souji did the same.

"Huh? A striptease? Dude, if that was true, the paparazzi would've been all over it."

"I'm serious, but the reception got bad right when it was getting to the good part. It was on that Midnight Channel everyone keeps talking about."

"You actually believe that crap? How friggin' dense are you? Trust me, you were dreaming it."

"The rumor about the Midnight Channel is spreading," Chie said worriedly.

"It doesn't help that the ones on it are more famous as they get thrown in," Rion said calmly.

"We'd better wrap up this case quickly, then," Yosuke said.

"If we don't, who knows who it'll affect next?" Souji inquired.

"Anyways, let's meet up later. Don't make any plans for this afternoon," Yosuke made the decision instead of Souji.

"Well, I can't hang out with Yukiko by myself today," Souji thought, "Second banana, my ass, Yosuke."

They all met up at the covered table… Their group number was getting ridiculous, eight of them. Rise was sitting on the end across from Kanji, while Rion and Teddie were at the other end.

Chie complained at the table, "Ugh… Finals are next week. It's been a while since I failed."

"Yeah, if by a while, you mean all the time," Yosuke said.

"Now, that's rude," Rion said. He was reading a book.

"Shut up! Like you've ever seen my scores," Chie said angrily.

Yukiko told them cheerfully, "But Chie always has above-average marks in the subjects she doesn't fail."

"So she does fail…," Souji thought.

"Hey! Why'd you tell him? My scores just vary, yeah that's it!" Chie said.

"Hahaha!" Rise laughed.

"Rise-chan! You too?" Chie said.

She giggled, "Sorry, I'm not laughing at you. It's just I thought it would take me a while to find any friends at my new school."

"Well, extenuating conditions only helped," Rion muttered.

"Yeah, it was too bad we met under these circumstances," Chie said.

"Oh, yeah what do you think about King Moron's case?" Yosuke asked.

"Well, he didn't exactly show up on the Midnight Channel," Souji said.

Teddie said, "If this person would have been inside the TV, I would have sensed it. My nose isn't as sharp now, but I can still tell that much."

Souji nodded in agreement.

"But they found the body on a foggy day again, right?" Chie asked, "They said on the news that the crime scene was just the way it was for the announcer and Saki-senpai."

Souji said, "Does that really have to mean anything?"

"It could just be coincidence," Rion said.

"I really wonder about the culprit's motives. Why was Mr. Morooka targeted?" Yukiko wondered.

"Hope it wasn't personal, cause there's way too many people who hated King Moron's guts," Kanji said.

Rise asked, "But didn't you say it was people who get famous on TV get targeted? If the killer is choosing targets by watching TV, I picture him as someone who doesn't know the victims at all. I don't think it's worth trying to figure out motives for that type. There are too many people who hold grudges against you for no reason at all, even if you've never met them before."

"Ha, you sound like you speak from experience, Rise-chan," Chie said nervously.

Souji chuckled at that comment. Rion rolled his eyes.

"As we said, King Moron didn't appear on the Midnight Channel or the regular TV," Souji said.

"There are just too many things that do not fit with our regular circumstances. Unless something has radically changed in the case, this sounds like something completely separate from our previous cases," Rion stated.

"I don't get this at all, or what you're saying Rion," Chie was confused.

"It's just simple logic," Yosuke said. Souji doubted that Yosuke got it either.

"Shut up, Yosuke!" Chie said.

"Man, two victims in a row from our school," Kanji lamented, "That's gotta set off the police's alarm bells. They're not gonna leave any stones at school unturned."

"Y'know, to be honest. Somewhere deep inside, I thought that King Moron might be the killer," Yosuke said, "The news says he's the second victim from Yasogami High, but we all know that's not the case."

"Yeah, we have to factor in Yukiko, Kanji, and now Rise considering she was joining Yasogami," Souji said.

"I've heard him say more than once that so-and-so deserves to die," Yosuke said, "But now… I feel sorry now that I doubted him."

"I think we are all like that at times," Rion said, "It's what makes us human." He pushed up his glasses and he had put down his book.

Yosuke continued, "He was a capital-A asshole, but he didn't deserve to die. And not just King Moron… I feel sorry for all the victims. I can't forgive the killer, no matter what."

"Can anyone truly forgive the killer for what he did? For what he may try to do in the future?" Souji asked.

"Well, we'll do what we can. For King Moron's sake too," Chie told them, "At this rate, you have to figure that the killer has something to do with the school, right? So why don't we split up and…"

A voice rang out that made Rion cringe, "That won't be necessary,"

"I can't wait to expose that…," Rion was thinking as Naoto Shirogane walked up to the table.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12  
I am butchering dialogue, battles, and s-links to get the novel version respectable. I can make characters more cynical, mean, out of character, and amusing. My character is "special" personality-wise.

You know what I own of SMT and Persona, right? Absolutely nothing.

This is a rather short little ditty leading up to Mitsuo's Game… so I may try to post another chapter today or tomorrow. I know my character's intelligence in exams is funky and especially what he's doing now. If you are really itching for a pairing to fully mature I'm sorry… it comes about soon.

* * *

"I can't wait to expose that…," Rion was thinking as Naoto Shirogane walked up to the table, "The detective can't hide forever in that shell of…" His thinking would be interrupted by someone else's speech.

"You…," Kanji was shell-shocked by Naoto's appearance.

The detective told them, "There is no need to examine the case of Mr. Morooka any further." Naoto's hands were on the detective's hips.

"Why's that?" Chie asked. She looked confused. Souji thought she was ready to go off on a full out search of the whole town.

Naoto continued, "Apparently, the police have found a suspect. It would be best to let them handle the case from here."

"How do you know?" Yosuke asked.

"Naoto was hired by the prefectural police," Souji said.

"I'm on this case as a special investigator as the bequest of the prefectural police, as your friend said," Naoto looked at Souji.

"What!?" Yosuke was in awe.

"They found a suspect? Who is it?" Chie asked.

"As to his name, I haven't been informed," Naoto told the group.

"So, you aren't a very good detective," Rion thought, "If you haven't figured it out yourself, or they don't bother telling you anything."

"I do know that he is a high schooler," the detective continued, "It isn't public knowledge yet, but he isn't a student of your high school. It seems they are quite confident that this boy is the killer. They have testimonies directly linking him to the incident. I expect it is only a matter of time until he is apprehended. Soon, this case will be solved, and your town will once again be its peaceful, rustic self."

"The suspect… is a high schooler?" Yosuke asked with a little bewilderment. He sat down, "All right… So why come tell us? That's confidential info, right? So why run right here and spill it?"

"Your "game" will soon reach its end," Naoto told them in a condescending voice.

"You little…!" Rion was shouting in his head, "Who's playing the real game?"

"I felt I should at least let you know that," Naoto continued.

"It's anything but a game to us," Souji said, "It's something far beyond that."

Naoto looked at them and asked, "You don't deny, then, that you have involved yourself in the matter? Well, no matter. I have no reason to say anything further."  
"A game…?" Rise questioned, "Aren't you the one who thinks of this as a game?" Her voice raised in anger.

Naoto had lost her perfect composure at Rise's anger. It had surprised everyone with her sudden change of personality.

"I don't care if you're a special investigator or an amateur sleuth… All you're doing is solving mysteries. What could you possibly know about us? You're the one who's playing a game here," Rise was near yelling, but at the same time, near tears.

Rion and Souji looked at her sympathetically.

"One of the victims… She meant a lot to me. How could I possibly treat this as a game?" Yosuke asked.

"We made a promise, right Yosuke?" Souji asked.

"Souji…," Teddie looked at him and Yosuke with tears in his eyes.

"There are things that are more complex and go far beyond even a detective's understanding," Rion said. He glared straight at Naoto. Naoto had an urge to take a step back all of a sudden.

"A game…," Naoto looked down and as the detective looked up he reached an understanding, "That may be quite true."

Chie looked nervous, "Why so understanding all of a sudden?"

"Oh, I get it. I was wondering why you'd be wandering around like this when the police have a subject," Yosuke joked, "What, did they get rid of you now that they have your man? Is that why you came here? You were lonely?"

"Detectives normally aren't involved with arrests. And we never harbor any special emotions regarding a case, either," Naoto replied and explained. She showed some regret as she said, "Still… It is rather unfortunate that people are only attentive so long as our services are required. But then, I'm accustomed to it."

"Are you accustomed to being a fraud?" Rion thought to himself.

"….," Kanji couldn't say anything.

"Much about this case was perplexing, but its solution was surprisingly simple," Naoto explained, but quickly said, "Well then, I'll be going now."

Naoto walked off and Chie asked, "What was that about? He just said his piece and left. He said they have a suspect, but is this really going to solve everything?"

"Who knows?" Souji wondered.

After dealing with way too much that day… Souji went home to Dojima's. He spent the evening talking with Nanako. They went out to get pickled radish for Dojima at Junes so they could make dinner. They got yelled at by Dojima for going out so late. Nanako yelled at Dojima. It went on, and on, and on. Souji got a headache.

At school the next day, he found out why eels are slimy from Kashiwagi. "Stupid-ass teacher," he thought as she told them to use it on their skin… "And this person wants to be Rise's rival?" He shook his head as he put it on his desk. It was time for Souji to sleep.

Souji decided maybe he should actually study a little for this test. He had not been eating much ramen lately. He was extremely happy when he found out he had a possible study partner. One he would be more than happy to study with. Though, it would be a possible distraction.

"You want to study with me?" Souji asked as he heard Yukiko's request.

"You will? Oh, thank goodness… There are a few things I needed help with," Yukiko said.

"Alright, let's go then…," Souji said.

At the library…

"Since we're here together, why don't I help you with the subjects you need help with, and vice versa?" Yukiko said.

"Okay, sure," Souji responded.

He was thinking, "A few of the things you could help me with can't be done in a library."

"Thanks, Souji," as she left, "I'll study with you whenever you want," She blushed.

"Sure… Anytime," he replied. Souji smiled. It was finally working out for him. He really did not get much studying then. He kept staring at her instead of doing trigonometry equations.

When he got home, he saw that there was food in the fridge. He made some crème caramel. "I didn't even burn the house down," he thought to himself as he put the fire extinguisher back.

Souji ate the food with Kanji and the man with the nose piercing thought it was "freakin' awesome!"

In the afternoon, he learned how to play rugby after being quizzed on what "Rome wasn't built in a day" meant. He had a lot of sore muscles after that. "Rion sure hits hard," Souji thought, "Now I understand why he kills things so easily."

Souji decided he would hang out with Yukiko after school. It sure wasn't a normal day with Yukiko when they met near the Tatsuhime Shrine.

They had met with Kasai before and that was embarrassing. Then the deputy mayor showed up.

"Oh, are your ready for the interview today?" he inquired.

"Oh, that's today!?" Yukiko asked. She turned to Souji, "I'm so sorry..."

"There's an interview for the Inn?" Souji asked Yukiko.

"Yeah…," Yukiko looked down.

Kasai came up all flustered, "Don't go. It's those crazy bastards. That News of the Weird peoples."

"Huh!?" Yukiko said as the three people came and got in Yukiko's face.

"Well… If it isn't the new manager," the lead guy said.

"I'm not inheriting the Inn," Yukiko said softly.

"Good choice. Your Inn sucks. It doesn't have anything special," the guy said, "They don't even offer anything special even if you tip them." The guy winked. "Well… we could still interview you at the Inn and you can do a part at the hot springs…, hmm?"

"Fuck off!" Yukiko yelled. Her face was the epitome of rage.

"What the hell!?" the guy said, "I know people. I can have things happen."

Souji came up and punched the guy in the face, "She said fuck off!"

Yukiko walked up and said, "We'll just complain to your sponsors. So… leave…"

"I think we should go," the cameraman said. He looked scared at both Souji's and Yukiko's faces.

All three of them ran off very quickly and Kasai walked away with a smirk. Souji and Yukiko started laughing at this. They sat down for a while and just sat there in silence. It was peaceful, but Souji had to wipe the guy's blood off his hand.

The next days were a drag except for studying with Yukiko on Thursday. That was exciting, if distracting.

He studied with Rise on Friday, but that just wasn't as fun. Souji also had to do a lot more work. She wasn't in his year anyways. Besides, she kept flirting with him while they were studying. She kept twirling her hair and doing random shit…

Souji got questions like "Do melons grow in the Andes Mountains.?" "Why don't you ask Rion?" he asked back. He got an amusing response back from that.

"What purpose was the ancient eyeliner used by the Egyptians?" he was asked. "Again, that's a Rion type of question," Souji thought.

Saturday, he studied with Kanji. That was even worse than studying with Rise. He was hopeless. "He should stick to making sock puppets," Souji thought.

Monday would be a holiday, so he hung out with Chie, Yukiko, and the sports crew on Sunday. Otherwise, no studying would be done.

On testing day, he met up with Rion, who he knew would have insanely perfect grades. He just wanted to finish around Yukiko. Then, Souji would be happy.

"Feeling good?" Souji asked.

"As good as anyone should, I presume," Rion responded.

Souji chuckled, "So, that means, you're going to blow us all of the water."

"You presume too much. After this semester, I won't even take the same tests as everyone else," Rion told him.

"Why?" Souji asked.

Rion told him, "I feel like the nationalized standards of Japan for 2nd years have not challenged me adequately. I'm taking 3rd years exams after this one. I'll take entrance exams after that."

Souji shook his head, "So, why aren't you in a different class?"

"Who says I want to leave our current class?" Rion inquired, "I have received the books and worksheets for the 3rd year work, and I will continue to as I go along."

Rion's voice never changed, but Souji thought he recognized a touch of caring in his voice. "Maybe, he actually does like us. He doesn't want to leave our class," he thought.

Souji asked Rion as they reached the gates, "Rion… what's your IQ? Do you know?"

"Umm… Not sure…, probably 80," Rion joked.

"Are you joking, are you actually making a joke?" Souji asked in surprise.

"Is it that surprising?" Rion asked.

"For you?" Souji said, "Yes!"

Souji didn't feel too well before he started the five days of testing. It might have been that raw bitter melon he had eaten the night before.

Most of the questions that were really difficult were the ones that he had gone over with Yukiko, or ones that he had needed help from Rion. A few were the ones he had helped Yosuke with before Morooka got the chop. He felt so happy when he was finished. He bet Rion was unhappy when it was, well not really. "Potatoes grow in the Andes, and eyeliner is insect repellent," Souji thought with glee.

"It's all over!" Yosuke said in relief as he stretched out his muscles, "I'm so sleepy!" as he yawned.

"You should have studied earlier," Souji said.

"Yuck!" Chie was disgusted, "Don't yawn in my face like that!" She turned to Yukiko,

"Hey, for the third question on the English test, which phrase did you choose?"  
"I went with "used to"," Yukiko said.

Rion nodded in agreement as he slumped in his desk.

Chie looked disappointed, "Wrong again…"

Yosuke threw his hands around, "So much for Chie going abroad. Heck, why leave Inaba? You have so much right here!"  
"Ooh… You're so annoying." Chie said as Kanji and Rise walked up.

"Yo…," Kanji said with lackluster in his tone.

Rise was droopy and lackluster, "No more encores… I mean… Hi everyone."

They looked frustrated. Yosuke looked at them, "Whoa, more losers!"

Rise looked angry as she said, "What do I need to know English for? I can always ask for a translator!"

Rion looked at her, "The universal language is necessary for almost everyone. If you every go back into singing, you may have to sing in English."

Rise glared at him and said, "Meanie!"

Rion shrugged, "It is only the truth. In actuality, the most spoken language is variations of Chinese."

Souji rolled his eyes.

Rise looked at Souji, "How did you do, Senpai?"

"Just you wait and see, Rise," Souji told her.

"Whoa, are you that confident?" Rise asked, "Wait… confident about what again?"

Kanji was done, "Enough about the exams already… What's going on with the murder case?"

"Why don't we head to our special headquarters? We haven't been there in a while," Yosuke reminded them.

"Okay, why don't we go over to Junes," Souji said. "Yosuke is being first banana again," Souji thought.

Rise was confused, but they all decided to head over to Junes.

When they got there, Chie was downcast, "I'm kinda bummed. Not just because exams are over, but… The whole thing with the police finding a suspect. I mean, we believed only we could solve this case. And now…"

"They have not made an official arrest yet," Rion said.

"So… We got to sit on our thumbs," Kanji said.

Just then, Adachi came walking by their special headquarters, cabbage in hand…

"For crying out loud… It's nice having a suspect, but where the hell is he?" Adachi complained, "We're at the end of our rope here…" Adachi noticed the group, "You guys! Did you hear what I said?"

"Pretty much…," Souji thought.

"Ahaha… This case is as good as solved!" Adachi proclaimed, "Don't worry, kids. It's only a matter of time before we bring in the suspect. I mean, the guy is kidnapping people at random and slaughtering them! We won't rest until we bring him to justice! I gotta get going!"

"Now, I'm really worried," Yosuke said.

"That makes two of us," Rion said, "He's too much of an idiot," he thought.

"If the police have a search warrant, we should stay out of it," Souji said.

"Actually, I say we find the guy and arrest him ourselves," Rion shook his head, "If he is in high school, it should not be a difficulty."

"Rion!" Chie exclaimed, "Are you crazy!? Leave it the police!"

"Yeah…," Kanji admitted, "Let's leave it to them."

"Oh, uh… I just remembered. There was a question on the exam that I didn't get," Rise looked at all of them when they all were looking down, "I think it was the chemical formula HCHO, used for silver mirror reactions. Its 40% solution is known as formalin. And the question was, what is HCHO?"

"Formaldehyde," Souji said. "I feel smart," Souji thought.

"Oh, I see. I chose acetic acid," Rise said like it was obvious, "Duh… of course it couldn't have been vinegar. Hey, you had that question too, didn't you, Kanji?"

Kanji sulked, "Shut up! And don't call me by my first name!"

"Touchy…," Rion said.

"Wow, kinda harsh, aren't you? I heard you got a nosebleed when you were around our senpai," Rise took a jab at him.

Kanji got flustered, "Hey! Who the hell blabbed about that?"

Chie tried to smooth it out, "Anyways… Rise-chan, why don't you ask Yukiko to help you study?"

"Huh? I guess, but wouldn't you rather ask a senpai of the opposite sex?" Rise wondered.

She looked at Souji, "Senpai? I'm not a nuisance to you, am I?"

"She plays hardball…," Rion was chuckling in his head as he thought; "Three strikes and you're out. Too bad… he's all but taken, little idol." Rion rolled his eyes.

"Damn," Chie said, "This girl's dangerous."

Yukiko was glaring daggers at Rise again. If looks could kill, Rise would be in the TV again.

Souji wasn't quite as excited as helping tutor Rise as Rise would be being tutored by Souji.

"Anyways, let's change the subject," Chie said quickly, "Hey, any idea how Teddie's doing?" She asked Yosuke.

Yosuke looked at her, "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention it to you." He pointed over to his left, "Check this out."

They looked and it was Teddie holding balloons for the kids at Junes. The children were greedily holding their hands up for the balloons, and Teddie was handing them off to them. All the children looked happy as they received them.

"I let him stay at my place; in return, he's now our official store mascot," Yosuke told them.

Kanji deduced, "Ahh! So, he's hiding in plain sight. Reverse psychology, huh? Man, he looks like one happy bear."

Yosuke told then, "He kept saying he didn't want to go back, so I made him a deal. Now, since I've got nothing better to do… I'm gonna go bug him."

"Oooh, I wanna go too," Chie exclaimed happily.

"Can I feel his soft fur?" Kanji asked with a grin.

"What, so you can knit it?" Rion asked. Rion answered, "I doubt he'll let you touch him, but let's go mess with his head."

Everyone had gone except Rise and Souji to talk or bug Teddie. As Souji had gotten up to go to the bear, Rise looked like she wanted to ask something.

"Hey, Senpai?" she asked, "Now that I'm getting the hang of school, I want to go out more and see the sights. But I tend to get recognized everywhere I go, so I'm a little nervous about going out on my own…"

"Oh great, I see where this is going…," Souji thought.

"You seem like the type of guy who knows all the cool spots in town," Rise said.

"If I have time, I'll show you around," Souji said, but he was thinking, "I'd rather show Yukiko. I don't even know if she'd like me to show you."

"Really! Woohoo!" Rise exclaimed. She was happy…, "If you ever have some time to kill, think of me, okay? Now, c'mon, let's go pester Teddie! Teddie! Hey!" She was speaking in cheerful tones.

They both walked over to bug the bear with everyone else and Teddie suddenly got nervous and released his balloons. Yosuke yelled at him.

He went home and cooked dinner with Nanako. There was a news report on TV again tonight. Thankfully, there was pickled radish so they didn't have to go get any.

The announcer went on a long-winded diatribe, "Tonight, we have a special report. The topic is the bizarre serial murder case in Inaba, where the victims' bodies are found hanging upside down on buildings. Police have yet to announce any progress in the investigation since the discovery of the third victim. Our special report tonight is a summary of the events and the facts of the case thus far."

"They still haven't caught him?" Nanako asked.

"I'll protect you," Souji said. "It's not my fault the police suck," he thought.

"Okay, you promise, right?" Nanako responded.

Nanako sat next to Souji because she seemed to be worried. Souji stayed with Nanako till she got too tired to stay awake.

It ended up that Souji had gotten 3rd on the exams again. That meant no summer school, but it did kind of suck to be behind Yukiko and the smart-ass, no, Rion. He did get a bunch of yen from Dojima by getting 3rd on the exams.

"You did so well, Souji," Yukiko told him.

That was all Souji needed to hear to make him feel good about his results on the tests. All other comments were moot. Most of the comments were Chie lamenting and Yosuke crying about his terrible grades.

"You were great too, Yukiko," He replied.

"Thanks…," Yukiko blushed.

He had some tea, and saw that it was going to rain the next day as well. Looks like it was Midnight Channel time on the 26th for Souji, but he thought to himself, "If they have their suspect, how could someone show up on the TV?"

The last day of school they had to listen about Kashiwagi and summer vacation, something stupid about her getting a swimsuit and other nastiness. He tried to eat some super huge meat bowl for the millionth on the rainy day, but again he failed miserably.

When Souji got home, he knew he'd have to watch the Midnight Channel. So, after dinner with Nanako, he headed up to his room and made sure it was still raining before he checked the TV.

At midnight, someone appeared, but it wasn't a yellow screen. It was a vivid image of a fugly person. A boy around Souji's age was standing against a yellow wall.

The boy was speaking as monotone as Rion, "…." He was unmoving, "You all think you can see me? You all think you know everything about me? …." He chuckled, "Then try and catch me," the boy taunted.

"What the hell was that about?" Souji thought to himself.

There was a phone call. It was Yosuke.

"Hey, did you see that?" Yosuke asked

"I did… Of course, I did," Souji answered

"Who was that guy? I don't know him… Have you ever seen him on the news or on any television special?" Yosuke asked

"I don't think I've seen him either," Souji again, answered.

"He seemed really gloomy, like a zombie," Yosuke deducted.

"He's worse than Rion," Souji added.

Teddie wanted the phone, "Yosuke! Yosuke!"

Yosuke responded to him, "Alright, already, I hear you! Sorry, I'm going to give the phone to Ted."

"Alright, I'll talk to him," Souji nodded from his end.

"Sensei! It's me. Teddie!"

"Nice to talk to you," Souji said.

"I finally got to see the Midnight Channel with my own eyes. Now I know exactly what's happening," Teddie said excitedly.

"What do you think is happening?" Souji asked.

"That guy's suppressed emotions are resonating with the other side, which are picked up by the TVs over here," Teddie concluded.

"That's understandable," Souji said.

"It's clear now that it's not being filmed by anyone! Mystery solved!" Teddie said excitedly.

"I didn't think it was being filmed by anyone before…," Souji said.

"But that kid… He must already be inside the other world," Teddie deduced.

"Yeah…"

"What are we going to do?" Teddie asked.

"We need a plan first before we can do anything," Souji told him.

"Gotcha! I knew I could count on you, Sensei! I think my heart skipped a beat," Teddie said happily.

"Don't get too excited," Souji tried to calm the bear-human down.

Yosuke yelled back for the phone, "That's enough Ted, give me the phone!"

"Okay, Yosuke…," Teddie said.

"Hey, how could he be already inside? What happened to the blurry image we usually see in advance?" Yosuke asked.

"Maybe it's something that is different this time," Souji told him.

"And did you hear what he said? Try and catch me," Yosuke said.

"That's pretty creepy. Rion will know what's going on," Souji gave his opinion.

"Now that I think about it, he looked like a high schooler. Hey, could he be? Nah, I better not jump to conclusions. Let's just meet up at our special headquarters tomorrow. Alright, later!" Yosuke told him.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow," Souji said goodbye.

They hung up, and Souji got another call from Chie right after that.

"Oh, I finally got through. Yosuke's line was busy, too," Chie said.

"I was talking to him," Souji said.

"Oh… I was just talking to Yukiko, was that?" Chie asked.

Souji told Chie what he had said to Yosuke and what he said to him.

"Yeah, we gotta get to the bottom of this. Well, off to bed. G'night."

"Night," Souji said.

Souji went to bed. Summer break started the next day, and he headed off to Junes to meet the group. "Weird," he thought, "That we have a case on the first day on our break of school."

"Teddie and Rise are currently investigating the other side to see if anyone is over there. We will begin by discussing what we know, and what has happened last night," Rion said to those who were there. Souji didn't feel like he lost his control when Rion was there for some reason.

"About last night," Yosuke started, "You guys all saw it, right?"

"As I told you, I did see it," Souji said.

They all nodded, and Kanji said in anger, "Yeah, shit he said made my blood boil. That mumbling of his, and those fish-like eyes made me even more angry. Who the hell is he?"

Souji told them, "I think he's the killer."

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing," Yosuke agreed with Souji.

"You too, Yosuke-kun?" Yukiko asked.

Chie motioned, "It's just a hunch, but it makes sense."

"I'm not sure about it," Rion thought, but he said, "It's possible that he could be." He shrugged.

"We've been told that the suspect is a high schooler," Yosuke said, "The police are after them for the murder of King Moron. So, to see that on TV last night, at a time like this… He even taunted the viewers by saying try and catch me."

"Uhh… So?" Kanji said, obviously confused.

"Alright, let's say there is this high schooler. We'll call him Shin. For some random reason, who knows why, Shin is able to enter the TV world. Then Shin, again for some random reason, starts throwing people into that world, intending to kill them. The police can't prove the other world exists, so it's the perfect crime. He can't possibly be caught. Now imagine you're Shin, but after a while, people stop dying when you throw them into the TV. You don't know why. You want to kill King Moron, but the TV is out, so you have to do it personally. Now the police are onto you. As a result, you, Shin, is a wanted criminal, and there's no where for him to run."

Kanji deducted, "So, you're saying he went into the other world to dodge the cops?"

"That would be the most logical solution," Souji said. "I sound like Rion…," Souji thought. He chuckled on the inside.

"And that would be the safest bet if he wouldn't want to be arrested," Rion told them.

"Ohh… So, that's why he said, catch me if you can… You're smarter than you look, Senpai," Kanji told Yosuke.

"Geez, you can annoy me sometimes," Yosuke glared at him.

"Like you don't piss him off either?" Souji replied.

Yukiko pointed out, "We still don't know why he targeted people who were shown on TV. But, if he had a personal grudge against Mr. Morooka, that explains one thing. With a strong enough motive, wouldn't he forsake the untraceable TV method and try to kill Mr. Morooka on his own?"

"He could. I can see him doing that," Souji responded.

"Well, if you think about it that way, it sort of makes sense why Mr. Morooka died without appearing on the TV," Yukiko continued, "But I wonder what that boy's going to do, now that he's in there. With Teddie on this side, there's no way to get him out."

"You don't think he's gonna get desperate, and try to end it all?" Chie wondered.

"He did look a little suicidal. There were signs of continued depression, and multiple other psychological disorders from what I could tell from the short time I looked at him," Rion deduced, "But, I don't think he would try to end his life."

"He does realize that those who were thrown in have returned to the other side," Souji said.

Yosuke finished, "I can see missing Yukiko or Kanji, but Rise's a celebrity… There's no way the killer wouldn't know she's still alive. So that means he knows there is a way out of the TV world."

"That way is through us though," Souji rolled his eyes.

"We'll just have to ask him face to face when we rescue him," Yosuke said.

Just then, Rise ran up to the group and faced them.

"Hey, great timing!" Chie exclaimed, "How'd it go?"

Rise shook her head, "Not good. There's not enough information to go on."

"Well, we don't know who we're looking for," Souji said.

"But, at least we're positive that someone's in there," Rise continued.

"I see, "Yosuke said. He asked, "Wait, where's Teddie?"

She smiled and explained, "He's still looking."

"I guess our first course of action is finding out the identity of the person we are chasing is," Rion said, "We also need to know if he is the one that the police is looking for."

"Right!" Yosuke said, "If we figure that out! We can do our thing."

Chie exclaimed, "That's right! If he really is the killer and he's escaped in the other world, the police don't have a chance of catching them."

"So, it's all on us!" Kanji exclaimed.

They nodded in agreement that they had to look for clues.

"You ready to look for clues on the killer, Souji?" Rion asked.

Souji nodded. "I really should make Yosuke or Rion do this…," he thought.

"Well, then, let's get digging," Chie said, ready to some of the grunt work.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13  
I am butchering dialogue, battles, and s-links to get the novel version respectable. I can make characters more cynical, mean, out of character, and amusing. My character is "special" personality-wise.

I know what I own. I know I own nothing of SMT and Persona.

It's time for a Game… Mitsuo's Game. Hope you enjoy. If you ever wondered… Yes, I mean to call Adachi a defective. I worked rather hard, and rather quickly to get this done. It helped that I already had this done and I was just revising it.

* * *

So Souji, as usual, began scouring the streets of Inaba to find out who the ugly dude was. He found nothing of note talking to people in the shopping district or Yasogami. After wasting some time near Samegawa, he headed down to the riverbank to talk to Kanji.

"Did you find anything?" Souji asked Kanji. Kanji was near the fisherman dude that was selling him keys for fish. Unfortunately, he never had any fish to give the guy.

"Mmm… info on the suspect? It's pretty tough. Seems like no one knows anything, huh?" Kanji responded.

"Yeah, I understand," Souji nodded as he said.

"Instead of bitchin' about it, why don't we go straight to the source?" Kanji confronted Souji.

"You mean the police?" Souji asked.

"Just ask Dojima-san. He's your uncle, right? He'd tell you something," Kanji suggested.

"I highly doubt he'd give information freely. Especially us," he thought, "He'd probably arrest me."

Regardless, he went off to try and find his uncle. It wasn't exactly easy to find him. "He's probably hiding," Souji thought. Souji finally found his uncle near the gas station and the bus stop. Maybe, he was waiting for a bus, or a contact.

As expected, asking for a clue on the suspect did not go well with his uncle…

"A clue to the criminal investigation?" Dojima asked.

Souji attempted to appear meek and innocent with his questioning.

"You… I told you not to stick your neck into things! There's no way I'd tell you!" Dojima yelled at his nephew.

"Temper…," Souji muttered as he cowered.

Souji backed off, but before he got out of range he heard this, "Geez… Damn, where did that Adachi go off to?"

"I'll try and find Adachi tomorrow, if Dojima can't find him. He'll tell us anything," Souji said to himself while leaving.

After spending time playing word games with Nanako in the evening, he started looking for Adachi the next day.

"We'll probably find him at the same place we always find him blabbering. He's probably buying something stupid, like cabbage," Souji thought to himself as he headed to Junes.

Adachi was there by the elevators; muttering to himself and sighing, "I think I'll stay here a little longer before I go out again!"

Souji did a Dojima impression and yelled at him, "Adachi!"

"Aah! You startled me. Don't sneak up on me like that!" Adachi exclaimed as Souji walked towards him.

"What are you to up, Adachi-san?" Souji asked the defective.

"What was I doing? Oh, you know… Investigating," Adachi replied nervously.

"Didn't look like you were investigating to me. I'll have to tell Dojima," Souji said, blackmailing him. Souji smirked inwardly.

"Did Dojima-san say anything about it?" Adachi asked, sweat running from his brow. Souji nodded his head.

"Just keep this a secret from him… Please!" Adachi wiped his brow.

Souji nodded, "Okay, but I want something in return." He loved

"Clues? If I tell you , will you keep quiet? Okay then… I'm just talking to myself here, but, supposedly he had a part-time job in the shopping district," Adachi told him.

"Do you know where?" Souji asked.

"Where was it? Oh, I don't think they told me that much," Adachi explained.

"Worthless…," Souji thought. Yet, Souji said, "Alright, I won't say anything."

"Thanks…," Adachi wiped his brow again.

Souji headed towards the shopping district to find out more information about this part-time worker/suspect.

It was at Souzai Daigaku that he found some new information. The lady seemed annoyed at this intrustion.

"Where'd you hear that from? I told him not to tell anyone," talking about Adachi, "Anyways… He did work here for a short time. This was a while ago. He freaked out just cutting the raw meat. I do remember him having black eyes. He said that the person who worked here before him was his classmate in middle school. I see him around here sometimes. He dyed his hair; it's now golden-brown," the lady explained quickly. She seemed in a hurry to get rid of Souji.

"Thanks," Souji nodded.

He went back the next day to try and find the other boy. He found him near Rise's tofu shop. "Probably wanting to see Risette, no doubt," Souji thought.

"Huh? You want to see my yearbook? Oh, are you looking for him?" the boy asked.

"Yeah, we are…," Souji told the boy.

"You wanna see his picture?" the boy asked.

"Sure…"

"Well, today's your lucky day, because me and my friends are going around showing it to everyone! Want a copy?"

"Alright, I'll take one."

He got the boy's picture. He was an ugly boy. It was the same person on the Midnight Channel and his name was written below. His name was Mitsuo Kubo. Souji thought he recognized the boy from somewhere.

With everything in place, Souji called for everyone to meet at Junes. They all met at the "secret headquarters."

"Do you think you have enough information?" Yukiko asked.

"Yeah, I got a picture and a name…," Souji said.

Rion looked at him, "That should be sufficient to find where he is. The hard part should be getting him out."

"Yeah, it is gonna be a pain in the ass to get him out. But, we have to question the guy once we see him, and ask him why he threw in Saki-senpai, Yukiko, Kanji, and Rise," Yosuke went on, "Not to mention that announcer."

"Well, let's go," Kanji said.

As the others jumped into the TV, Souji nodded to Rion who nodded back. As Souji jumped in, Rion turned around and caught a young boy by the throat with his staff horizontally, lifting him into the air.  
"You may fool Yosuke, Kanji, Yukiko, and Chie. Yet, Souji saw you following him around. And, don't think you could get by me," Rion said with a flash of anger in his eyes, "I wouldn't be a very good cover man if I didn't notice you a long time ago. If you didn't try to come with, I wouldn't have said anything… But, you just had to try and follow us."

"I…," the boy muttered.

"Where we're going is not a place for children. If you can't control where you land, we don't know where you'll end up… We're only planning on saving one person this time," Rion said. His voice never quivered.

"I was just curious," he said.

"That is too bad… I'm afraid. Curiosity killed the cat, and it could easily kill you. I won't let you follow us," Rion said.

"What are you going to do to me?" the boy was terrified.

"You will not remember spying on us, you will not remember trying to follow us, and you will not remember that this occurred," Rion said as his staff dropped from the boy's neck spun over his head, and around the boy's skull to hit him in the back of the head. The boy dropped like a log. Rion picked him up, luckily he wasn't bleeding. He put him in a place where he would be found and made sure someone would find him… He would have a concussion after all.

He made his way into the TV world and nodded at Souji to tell him that it was taken care of.

When they went in, Souji showed the picture of Kubo to Rise and the others.

"That's him all right. He's definitely the one on the Midnight Channel," Yosuke said.

"There's no doubt that he is the one we seek," Rion said.

"Then, it's settled then," Yosuke said, "He's the killer, and he's in here now."

Rise told the others in surprise, "This guy came to our shop before." This surprised most of the group, "Was he spying on me? Oh my god! I really was being targeted."

Kanji yelled, "Dammit! Frickin' punk!"

"Hey, I've seen him before too," Chie told them. She was thinking when it hit her, "Oh, now I remember! Yukiko, it's that one guy!"

"That one guy?" Yukiko questioned.

"She is quite popular," Souji thought, "Quite popular with me…"

"Back in April, remember?" Chie tried to jog her memory, "He suddenly came and started hitting on you."

"Oh, him!" Yosuke remembered, "The guy who got served by Yukiko in front of the school!"

Rion was back to normal calm as he spoke to Yukiko, "That's not uncommon for Yukiko. Yet, I remember that person's features quite vividly." He had obviously recovered from earlier.

"Man, Chie, how'd you remember something like that?" Yosuke asked.

"Well, that was the first time he talked to her, but I remember he was always following her around," Chie said.

Yukiko was still confused, "Umm… Sorry, who are we talking about?"

"That's just proof that you reject too many guys," Souji said.

Yukiko blushed scarlet.

"The dude who came right up to you at the gates and called you Yuki!" Yosuke tried to remind her.

"Oooh…," Yukiko remembered, "Uhh… Really?" Well, she kind of remembered who it was. I guess that's all you could expect from her.

Rion said, "Chie, Souji, Yosuke, and I were all there too. Yosuke showed up after the fact."

"Wait, did he kidnap Yukiko to get back at her for rejecting him?" Chie asked.

"That's a bit childish…," Souji shook his head.

"Umm… I really didn't reject him," Yukiko said.

Rise said to the group, "He came up to me while I was busy working and asked, "Don't the biker gangs bother you? Just going on and on about how biker gangs can't do anything unless they're in a pack and stuff. He seemed to be the type who keeps talking and talking, whether you like it or not… if that makes sense."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Rise continued, "I usually treat those people politely, but I was so tired that I kinda ignored him. Was that why I was kidnapped?"

"Huh?" Kanji blurted out, "Wait… I'm not a biker."

"He may have mistaken you as one," Souji said. "This Mitsuo guy is screwy," he thought.

"Well, you were perceived as one for a long time," Rion explained, "They still perceive you as one in some regards." Rion shook his head.

Kanji muttered, "Ugh… That damn special report… So, that's why I got dragged into this.

Chie went on, "You know, I heard he'd been saying stuff about that announcer's affair, too. Lots of muttering about how women who cheat on their husbands should be executed."

"How would you know if you didn't even know who he is?" Rion wondered.

"Sounds like it's all coming together," Yosuke told the group, "Well, it's time for a showdown!"

They nodded and Souji looked at Rise, "Can you tell us where Mitsuo is located?"

"I'll give it a try," Rise told him, "Give me a sec," as she summoned her Persona, "Yeah, I found him! He's that way!" She pointed off to the 7o clock area of the plaza.

"Ok, let's go!" Chie exclaimed, "We're so close to the killer… We can't lose him now." She re-adjusted her high tops. She was ready to drive her boots into Mitsuo's ass.

"Alright," Souji said, "Let's go." He put his sword over his back. He almost ripped through his shirt again, hiding it.

They went off in that direction only to find themselves in a video game-like environment with the swirly red and black at the entrance.

As Chie walked past the bridge, "What is this? Some kinda game?"

"Well, he did taunt us, saying "Try and catch me." I guess he thinks of it all of some kind of game," Yosuke said.

"Judging by the background that we saw in the Midnight Channel, this does not surprise me," Rion said. He pushed up his glasses with his left pointer finger while adjusting his scabbard with his right hand.

Chie yelled, "Oooh! This pisses me off! I hereby sentence him to one-hundred kicks in the face."

"Let's go… We have a job to do…," Souji said, "No matter what he has supposedly done; we need to take care of all aspects of the mission just like always. Let's just reach the ending of this." He smiled, "After we catch him, Chie can dole out the punishment."

"Gotta admit… All guys love games!" Yosuke joked.

Teddie joked back, "And all girls love Teddie!"

The whole group just walked away without answering him, completely ignoring the bear.

Entering the void for the first time was a new experience… and had new Shadows to die from. On the plus side, they also had new allies. Teddie was a Bearsona user, and they had Rise.

The Shadows that were encountered were interesting to say the least on the first couple of floors. "Another stupid rock Shadow," Souji thought.

The group was sick of rock enemies that physical attacks just couldn't damage. It didn't help that none of the group's Personas had an advantage against the enemy. You could kill the rocks by repeatedly using basic elemental attacks like "Agilao" or "Garula", but they would bounce on top of you by then. Chie found out the hard way not to use try and use "Black Spot!" with Tomoe. Also, those rocks were accompanied by a tower enemy that used "Mazionga!" It knocked over both Yosuke and Teddie, and they found out that the tower also summoned more rocks.

"Damn towers," Kanji yelled as his "Zionga!" from Take-Mikazuchi was resisted. He hit with a desk instead.

"Use fire!" as Souji summoned Hua Po, a Chinese tree spirit, "Agilao!"

Well, that took out the towers efficiently, but there still was the issue of the rock enemies.

He left the job of killing of towers to Yukiko and Konohana Sakuya. Her "Maragion!" could weaken both kinds of enemies.

Souji switched to a Persona, Power, an angel of the sixth order. "Mahama!" he cast on the rocks. They all disappeared.

"Hell yeah, Souji!" Yosuke yelled, "That's what I'm talking about!"

Unfortunately, his yelling brought new enemies coming.

"Look what you did, you idiot!" Chie yelled at him.

"It's not my fault…," he said, "If you had beaten them faster…"

"Why you!" she screamed.

"We need to focus on those who will actually kill us!" Rion yelled.

"Tajikarawo!" "Torrent Shot!" he yelled at the new enemies. They were snake-like enemies and freakin' big sword-enemies.

"Damn!" Rion muttered, "Why can't anything ever be weak to straight attacks." Rion rolled out of the way of a slicing sword, and struck with his ninjato. He back flipped away to dodge the snake's poisonous mist.

Yosuke was hit by the mist, "Guys… I don't feel so good…"

Souji switched to Parvati, "Posumudi!"

"Guys… This one is weak against Ice!" Rise pointed out to the snakes.

"Teddie, use your Persona!" Souji yelled as he cleaved down on one of the snakes. The snake responded by circling around him and knocking him over with its cross-sword.

"Souji-kun!" Yukiko picked him up.

"Bearsona!" "Kintoki-Douji!" "Bufula!" Teddie exclaimed at Souji's command. The snakes fell to the ground.

"Well, that was super-effective against the snakes," Souji said.

"Kanji, you should attempt your electric attacks on the overly-large swords," Rion said as Yukiko's attacks and Yosuke's were woefully ineffective against them.

"Take-Mikazuchi!" "Mazio!" Kanji exclaimed.

The lightning made the swords all droopy and sad. They were paralyzed, and they could not attack if they wanted.

Teddie yelled as all were knocked over, "Bear-pile onto the enemy!"

All of the group ran onto the enemies and on all accounts destroyed them mercilessly.

They kept running into them until the third floor. The third floor made Souji want to pull out a "gun" and shoot himself.

Mitsuo seemed to be taunting them with a game. You'd go one way, and it would warp you another way. It was pretty damn annoying in Souji's mind

"Bastard!" Kanji yelled, "Quit playing games!"

"Let's think logically here…," Rion said, "The best way to find a way out of here would be to move in…"

"Screw logic, let's just run around till we find the damn exit!" Yosuke yelled in annoyance and ran off.

"But…," Yukiko said, "I don't think we should…" She looked at the others as she stared at Yosuke as he disappeared, "We have to run after him, don't we?"

Souji nodded and they ran after Yosuke, who had warped off somewhere. "Where did that idiot get to?"

Yosuke had emerged and was currently fighting a new kind of enemy. An enemy that seemed to be a bunch of eyeballs until it attacked with fire spells.

"Yosuke!" Souji yelled, "Don't bother using Sonic Punch or your Kunai! Use Garula!"

Yosuke spit out blood, "Jiraiya! Magaru!" The eyeballs fell over… and new enemies emerged.

More raven-like enemies and book enemies that was similar to the ones seen in previous areas.

"I swear," Chie said as Tomoe used "Heat Wave!" "It's like they have stronger versions of the same kinds of Shadows."

"It's way too teddious for my brain to think about!"

"Just blast the damn books!" Souji yelled. Souji picked up his card as Yukiko's fan had flown into one of the Shadows.

So they did so… Souji's blade cleaved one book while his fairy friend, Hua Po, burned the heinous books with "Agilao".

Yukiko and Teddie's Personas, Konohana Sakuya and Kintoki-Douji respectively used "Mediarama" to heal the group, while they used a fan and claws to shred the books and ravens.

Yosuke found the ravens weak to wind, so he casted "Garula" on the birds, while using his kunai as a sharp bookmark for the books.

Kanji finally found a use for a school desk and books. By smashing the books with his desk, while Rion just darted in between the enemies, nimbly cutting and slicing his way through. Tajikarawo, meanwhile used "Masukunda!" to slow down the ravens.

The only problem was when the books started casting "Makarakarn!" Yosuke could not use wind on the ravens, and Souji or Yukiko couldn't use fire on the books. So, Souji turned to Kanji, Chie, and Rion for help.

"Tajikarawo! Torrent Shot!" Rion exclaimed as needles came flying from the staff of the hermit and Rion dove at the books, sword bared.

"Kill Rush!" Kanji hit all of them at once as Chie used "Heat Wave!" to eradicate her foes. She wiped the sweat off her brow when she was done.

"You idiot!" Chie yelling at Yosuke after the battle, "You could have died!"

"Jiraiya!" "Garula!" Right behind Chie was a fairy enemy that had a bow pointed straight at her. As it was falling, Yosuke pierced it by throwing his kunai into its body.

"Who's the idiot now?" Yosuke joked.

Yosuke was suddenly was on the floor holding the lower part of his torso.

"Men…," Chie muttered as she walked off. You couldn't see the blush on Chie's face, however as she walked away.

"Note to self… Don't annoy Chie," Souji thought as he helped Yosuke up. Teddie healed Yosuke with "Mediarama!" so he could have children.

They ran through more and more of those enemies. It was some stupid white-hand Shadow that was easily taken care by Yosuke when he finally stopped complaining about his groin.

"You're going down, you piece of shit!" Yosuke yelled, "Jiraiya! "Magaru!"

They had finally gotten out of the third floor, "About time," Souji thought.

"More of the same…," Rion said, as he cut into a raven on the 4th level. Teddie had frozen the one next to him.

"Tell me about it," Yosuke said. His wind blasted two arrow-firing cupid things.

Yukiko sighed, "Maragion!" The book burning had begun.

The 4th level had been completed.

"So… are we done for today?" Rise asked. She put her rose-colored glasses back on.

"Yeah, we goho-m," Souji said.

"Right, though Souji runs us ragged trying to get us done as soon as possible," Yosuke told her.

"Okay… I gotcha," Rise said.

Teddie told them as they left, "Good job everyone! I'll see you before we come back."

"You better," Yosuke said, "You work for me now!"

Yukiko laughed, "Snrk…"

When they got out, they noticed there that an ambulance had come through Junes recently.

"Rion… Did you have something to do with this?" Souji asked.

"The best answers are the ones without questions…," Rion told him.

"Right, well I'll talk to you tomorrow. I want to get up a few more floors. Sunday will be free for us," Souji replied.

"If that's what you want…," Rion shrugged in approval. He sighed.

"What the hell did Rion do to that kid?" Souji thought as he walked away, "Rion doesn't have a violent streak, but he had to protect our secret. It is far too important for some innocent kid. If someone who could defend themselves got in would be one thing, but some kid who didn't know what they're doing would be just like Kanji, or Yukiko. I don't know if we'd have time for both of them."

He spent time resting and then got back straight to the dungeon the next day. He was ready to go fight and win the game. Souji imagined he was playing some vintage, retro style video game with cheesy music before he went in.

"So, will we not suck this much today?" Souji asked.

"We sucked last time?" Chie asked.

"Well, we got lost…," Rion said.

"You better damn believe it!" Kanji yelled.

"We need to catch this guy…," Yukiko said, "Besides… What this guy says each floor is sickening."

Souji agreed, "This guy has major psychological issues."

They entered the fifth floor and were ready to deal with a bunch of new crazy Shadows.

There was a kind of beetle that showed up. Nothing really worked against it. All magic absorbed it unless Souji used "Mudo", but he didn't really have a Persona to use it reliably. He had Matador, but he didn't really trust himself with that.

So, he mainly he relied on Chie and Rion's Personas to beat up the shadows, along with their own weaponry. Chairs and bear claws make short work of beetles.

"Tch…," Rion said. The beetle's horn struck upwards and Rion's staff parried the blow. Chie's feet kicked the beetle backward. "Black Spot!" Her Persona blew the Shadow away.

When another one attacked them, Yukiko's fan deterred it at first. When it still advanced, Souji beat it back with his cleaver. "Fatal End!" Kanji yelled with Take-Mikazuchi to knock down and destroy the beetle.

So it was to take out the rest of the annoying beetles.

There were vase monsters with people sticking out of them that were weak against fire. So, Yukiko made short work of them using "Maragion" and Souji with Gdon used it as well.

"Are you all still alive?" Souji asked.

"I think so," Yukiko replied, "Konohana Sakuya!" "Mediarama!"

"That feels better," Teddie said, but he was still pouting, "But that doesn't fix my beautiful fur!"

"Quit whining bear!" Yosuke exclaimed.

As they walked on in the 6th level, "No more freaking rock monsters!" Rion yelled as one rolled into him. Souji was just amazed that he was actually hit by something.

"Rise… what its weakness?" Souji asked.

"Umm…," Rise scanned, and scanned, "Wind!"

"Let's go, Jiraiya!" Yosuke exclaimed, "Magaru!"

"Titania!" "Garula!" Souji exclaimed to finish off the last one.

There were huge samurai Shadows. Okay, a single one… but it was rather imposing. It reflected fire, ice, wind, and electricity. It pissed off Souji to no end. So, he tried to have Chie kick it in the nads. She missed and fell to the ground. The Shadow proceeded to slice into her.

"Chie!" Yukiko yelled.

"Chie-chan!" Teddie exclaimed, "Go, Kintoki-Douji!" "Mediarama!"

Yosuke ran in and dragged her out, but barely dodged his long blade by using a kunai to block it. Souji thought even Yosuke was surprised that he blocked it as he dragged Chie back to them.

"Yosuke…," Chie said.

Souji was distraught. If he could dodge physical attacks, magic was reflective; there were his expel and curse techniques, but they could fail. He trusted only one person to at least hold them off.

"Everyone else runs towards the stairs, Rion and I will hold them off," Souji said.

"What!?" Yosuke yelled.

"I'm glad you asked me first," Rion said sarcastically, "But just go."

"Don't do this, Souji-kun…," Yukiko said.

"I'll be fine, Yukiko," as Souji charged the samurai. He put his katana up as the thin blade flashed up. Souji barely got it up in time before he was cut in two. He tried to retaliate with a left-high downward diagonal cut, but the Shadow was already gone, and was charging the only remaining person left on the floor. "I guess I'm not worth his time," Souji thought.

"Come on, you son of a bitch," Rion sneered. As the Shadow's blade flashed from his scabbard to a horizontal position across, it was caught by Rion's ninjato before he was cut.

"Don't waste my time," Rion said, "Hurry up Souji. Act as a leader."

Souji ran up and thrust his katana into the Shadow's back, right through the armor. Rion feinted off of the thin blade and jammed the ninjato into the Shadow's unprotected face.

"Let's go. They're waiting for us," Souji said, as the Shadow disappeared. Rion nodded.

They climbed to the seventh floor.

As they would soon discover… life hated them.

"I hate myself!" Souji said as he got turned around again, and again. For some reason, this level turned you around when you reached a crossroad. It pissed Souji off.

It didn't help that they had new enemies to fight too. Dancer Shadows that reminded them of the ones from Rise's dungeon… when Rion wasn't using his blade to fence with them. Rion enjoyed fighting them at least. Souji enjoyed watching him fight them, actually. Yukiko was using her flames on them.

"Maragion!" Yukiko yelled. There were plant Shadows, and plants don't do well against flames.

"Burn baby burn!" Chie yelled.

Dice Shadows that liked to blow up on people. There were dice enemies that blew up on people every place they went to rescue somebody. There seemed to be dice everywhere they turned on this floor.

"Freakin' dice," Chie shook her head as she flipped back, "Protect me, Tomoe!" "Bufula!"

That did work after all, and Teddie was the one who took care of them after that. Kintoki-Douji was very effective for taking care of the dice that blew up on people. "Bearsona!" "Mabufula!"

As they were spun around again, they encountered idols and those gun toting police Shadows.

"I don't like being shot at," Rion muttered.

"Tell me about it," Souji muttered.

Kanji yelled "Mazionga!" It destroyed all of them at once.

Being turned around constantly required a lot of healing and so, "Mediarama" was used a lot. They saw Shadows constantly as they hit all four directions at once.

They were about to advance to the next floor when Souji got a feeling.

"I don't think we should go up yet," Souji said.

"You think there is something else to accomplish?" Rion asked.

He nodded, "Let's keep looking…" They kept looking, and running into Shadows, and using "Mediarama!"

They managed to stumble onto a door where Rise warned them.

"There is something beyond there! Are you ready?" she asked.

"Sure, why not!" Souji said.

They came upon a hand enemy similar to the one on the 3rd to 4th floor but it was colored black.

The hand started the battle by summoning one of the hands from the earlier floor; the white kind.

"What!? It can summon?" Rise freaked.

Souji told them to calm down and he summoned "Phoenix!" He proceeded to use "Garula!" It knocked over the weaker hand.

Chie yelled, "Ooh… me… me… Let me do it!" Souji nodded and Chie stretched out and she kicked the stronger hand into oblivion. Teddie spent one second clawing the weaker hand and the battle was over.

"What a waste of our damn time!" Kanji exclaimed.

They grabbed an item called the orb of darkness and walked up the 8th floor before walking out.

"Great job everyone, but we need to goho-m!" Teddie told them.

Souji was happy to go home and rest for a whole day. Besides, he needed a good dinner for once instead of collapsing on the bed before eating.

Sunday, he would be hanging out with Yosuke. They ended up looking out over all of Inaba and pointing out all of the groups' houses. They couldn't find Rion's, but he thought no one really knew where he lived.

He kind of didn't want to find that dude the next day, but he had to save him.

The Monday of destiny… The job… save the freak named Mitsuo.

The eighth floor had a lot of the same enemies. It was a lot easier because of Souji's new Personas. The "BLACK FROST!!!"

The 9th floor, however, was a mess. A new giant gigas, that was weak to nothing that came down to a brawl between Personas, people, and giants.

"You will die now," Souji said, "Triglav!" "Mustard Bomb!"

"Tomoe!" "Black Spot!"

"Fatal End! Take-Mikazuchi!"

"That was a fun fight…," Souji said. Did anyone notice he was being sarcastic?

They fought a huge robot on the 8th floor that just wouldn't seem to die.

"Virtue!" "Hamaon!" Souji exclaimed. It died.

"There you go," Yosuke said.

A tank Shadow that resisted physical attacks, so Chie and Rion couldn't do much except buff the party. It became "let's heal after the Shadow "Power Charges" and hits and kills people, and then tries and do damage by other means".

The others used their best magic in retaliation, but it was rather slow going. "Garula, Agilao, Zionga, Bufula!" isn't much to shake a fist at.

Finally, there was another one of those lion creatures that attacked them on the 9th floor from before that became another brawl between the enemies and the investigators. That was only because nothing was really effective.

Reaching the Endgame was a blessing. He went to be gipped… no, healed by the fox, and then went back to the final level of the game.

Rise warned them when Souji got to the door, "I can sense him past this door!"

"Are you ready?" Rion asked.

"Let's kick his ass!" Souji replied.

"Hell, yeah!" Yosuke responded.

The orb of darkness or whatever the hell it was opened the door.

As they entered through the door at a run, Chie yelled, "Look, there he is!" as she pointed ahead.

The boy was there, and ahead of him was a Shadow.

Kanji yelled at the complacent boy, "You Mitsuo? You better be ready to pay, you bastard"

"Wait, Kanji!" Yosuke yelled, "Something's not right!"

"You think…?" Rion said like it was obvious. Souji thought it was obvious that it wasn't right either.

"Everyone gets on my nerves… That's why I did it!" Mitsuo yelled at the Shadow, "What do you think of that? Say something dammit!"

The Shadow said nothing, _"…."_

"Nobody even thought of me after the first two people!" Mitsuo told the Shadow, "That's why I went for the third one! I killed them!"

The others seemed shocked. "Well, he's confessing," Souji thought.

The Shadow still was silent, _"…."_

Mitsuo was worried, "What are you all quiet for?"

"_Because… I feel nothing…,"_ The Shadow said in that monotone voice.

Mitsuo freaked, "What are you talking about? Make sense, dammit!"

"What the…?" Chie was confused, "Which one's the Shadow?"

"The one with the purple flames…," Rion muttered.

The Shadow continued, _"I have nothing… I am nothing… And you… are me…"_

Mitsuo cried out, "What? What's that supposed to mean? I'm… I'm not nothing!"

"No…," Yukiko worriedly said, "If this keeps up…"

"We'll have a big problem on our hands," Souji said.

At this point, Mitsuo turned around and noticed the group. He wasn't exactly happy to see them either. Not happy at all…

"Who are you guys? How'd you get in here?" Mitsuo asked, "Dammit, who the hell are you? What're you doing here?"

"How do you think we got here?" Souji thought.

Kanji yelled at him, "Shut the hell up! We came after you!"

Chie questioned him, "Are you the killer?"

Mitsuo began laughing maniacally, "Haha… Ahahahaha… Of course I am! I'm the one behind everything!" He turned towards the Shadow and laughed, "I don't give a damn what this imposter's saying! Hahaha, you hear that! You have nothing to do with me! Get outta my sight!"

_"….,"_ The Shadow was silent.

Mitsuo turned on them, "That goes for the rest of you, too! Why'd you chase me all the way here? I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you! I can do it, ya know! I can do anything!"

"Not likely," Rion said detaching the end of his staff, but not lengthening it yet.

The Shadow's creepy voice rang out, _"So you don't accept me,"_ as the flames turned to black.

Mitsuo collapsed, "Ngh…"

The Shadow began transforming into his true Shadow form.

"Arrgh…," screamed the real Mitsuo, as the Shadow finished its transformation.

It grew into the form of a sort of baby with data over its head.

"Dammit, here we go again!" Yosuke yelled.

"I expected nothing less," Souji said.

Rise warned them, "Get ready, everyone! Once we beat him, this case is as good as closed!"

At the beginning of the fight, the baby protected itself with the "Character Setup" which formed an 8-bit shell that looked like a little knight.

"_I am… a shadow,"_ the Shadow said in a creepy game-like voice, _"Come… I'll end your emptiness."_

"It's all jaggy and blocky!" Teddie exclaimed.

"Is that thing supposed to be a game character?" Yosuke asked, "Geez… how insulting can you get?"

"You'll have to destroy the outer shell first!" Rise told the group.

"Let's fuck this guy up!" Souji yelled.

Their respective Personas were summoned, "Jiraiya, Tomoe, Konohana Sakuya, Tajikarawo, Take-Mikazuchi, and Kintoki-Douji." Souji however, summoned "Black Frost."

"Oooh…," Yukiko squealed, "Can I hug it?"

"Let's focus on the battle!" Souji said as the huge bit Shadow's sword came down upon Souji who rolled away. "Mind Charge!"

"Heh, you're wasting my time!" Rion yelled, as he detached his staff, "Masukakaja!" He wanted the Persona to increase the ability to dodge attacks.

"Why aren't you protecting us with one of your magic shields?" Yosuke asked, right before he was hit by a magic spell…

"It wouldn't have worked anyways… Someone heal Yosuke!" Rion retorted. Yosuke had been hit by a bomb that had injured Yosuke and made him weaker.

"Diarama!" Yukiko commanded. She also gave him something to try and help him feel better.

"Thanks…," Yosuke said.

Rion and Souji charged the Shadow with Black Frost and Tajikarawo supporting him with "Rakukaja!". Swords, staffs, and flames flared at the blocky Shadow.

"Agidyne!" The black plushy fired his flames and damaged the game character as Teddie used "Matarukaja!" to strengthen their attacks for Souji and Rion.

Yukiko was supporting them with "Agilao" with Konohana Sakuya and Kanji's Take-Mikazuchi was using "Fatal End". Likewise, Chie was using "Black Spot" with Tomoe. After being healed, Yosuke fired back with "Garula" with Jiraiya.

"Tajikarawo! Torrent Shot!" Rion's Persona peppered the Shadow. The Shadow retaliated with a bomb.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group only had to dodge magic spells, the character's sword, and bombs while it was casting its magic.

"Bufula!" Teddie yelled and the game character disappeared, revealing the baby Shadow, which fell hard to the ground.

"Bear-pile on the enemy!"

"Hell yeah!" Souji told them as all charged onto the baby Shadow that seemed to represent Mitsuo.

The baby didn't take well to being bombarded by more magic and in Kanji and Rion's case, a desk and staff. He started to exploit weaknesses in each person. He used "Agidyne!" on Chie, "Ziodyne!" on Yosuke and Teddie, "Garudyne!" on Kanji, and "Bufudyne!" on Yukiko and Rion. After all but Souji had fallen… the baby cast "Megidola!" It knocked down Souji and the plushie, Black Frost. Souji staggered to his feet after being knocked over. They were all in serious trouble.

"Be careful everyone!" Rise yelled. She was worried for them.

As Teddie and Yukiko casted "Mediarama!"; the Shadow baby used a spell called "Whisper!" to begin reforming the game character that had been destroyed early.

"Oh, we are so going to kick your ass!" Kanji yelled as he had Take-Mikazuchi cast "Fatal End!" and smacked his desk against the partially formed game character. Mitsuo's shadow responded by using "Devil's Smile!" that froze him in his tracks.

"What's wrong with Kanji? He's scared!" Rise yelled.

The shadow began its next attack, "Ghastly Wail!" to finish off the unruly brawler

"I got you Kanji!" Chie yelled. She pushed him out of the way.

Yukiko supplied the sedative to Kanji to wake his from his scared state.

The baby was annoyed again, and used "Arm Chopper!" to knock back Chie.

Chie fell back, and the game character was almost finished reforming.

Yet, the baby was distracted by dealing with those two Persona-users.

He didn't notice the others supported by "Matarukaja" and in Souji's case, "Mind Charge" bearing down on him.

One "Agidyne", an "Agilao", a "Zionga", a "Torrent Shot", a "Bufula", and a "Garula" later… The baby fell to the floor again, game character dissipated.

"Let us dance with death, you bastard…," Rion smirked.

"Yes, let's!" Souji replied.

Again, the group attacked the shadow with all they had, staff, swords, ninja tools, desks, and fans notwithstanding.

The group continued its constant barrages of "Agidyne!" coupled with "Mind Charge!" or "Fatal End!" and that did more than enough damage to make it fall. The baby fell, the data disappeared, and the Shadow burst into flames.

When the battle was over, Mitsuo climbed to his feet in front of the group.

"Ngh…," he staggered.

"Finally awake, huh?" Yosuke asked, "You've been a major pain in our ass!"

Mitsuo looked confused, "What the…? You guys… Who the hell are you guys?"

Souji told him, "We came to capture you… and deal with you."

"….," Mitsuo looked despondent.

"The police are after you," Yosuke told him.

"You are their primary suspect for the death of Mr. Morooka and the other two murders that have occurred in April," Rion told him.

"So…? Are you the killer?" Yosuke asked.

"All the cases…," Mitsuo talked softly, "All on me…" He started to laugh, "Ahahaha! That's right, I did it!"

Emphasizing his anger, Kanji said slowly, "You piece of shit!"

"And not just that bastard Morooka… That stupid announcer and that Konishi bitch, too! I killed all of them! It was all me!" Mitsuo seemed proud of his accomplishments .

The Shadow disappeared.

"Where'd it go?" Rise asked.

"What's going on?" Chie looked confused.

Mitsuo laughed, "Ha… Hahaha… It's gone… That frickin' monster disappeared. Take that, son of a bitch!"

The fish-eyed boy fell over after it disappeared.

"Urgh…," Mitsuo said after the Shadow dissipated

"Hey!" Kanji exclaimed.

"He's exhausted," Rise told them, "We need to hurry and get him out of here."

"So… Who's taking him out of this place?" Souji asked. He looked at Rion.

"Why do I always get the worst jobs?" he muttered. Rion thought to himself, "Next time there is a girl, I'm carrying her out." He chuckled to himself… "Yeah, like that will ever happen."

Mitsuo was thrown to the ground in the Electronic department of Junes after being carried out by Rion.

"Where am I?" Mitsuo asked as he was on the floor.

"It's the real world, reality… you bastard!" Souji told him.

Mitsuo was still confused, "Why am I here? What the hell are you guys? Stop it… Why did the TV? Ngh…"

"Hey…," Chie started thinking that Mitsuo was messed up.

Teddie started talking to him, still in his bear suit, "You seem confused from everything that happened. But we have a bunch of questions for you. First off, why did you do all this? Answer in ten words or less!"

Mitsuo laughed at Teddie, "What the hell? Is that a costume? What a loser… Get outta my face, you freak!"

"Freak! Grr…," Teddie wasn't happy.

"You aren't helping," Souji told him, "Are you the killer, Mitsuo Kubo?"

Mitsuo responded, "Get off my back… I already told you. I did it."

Rise looked sad as she said, "Why? How could you do such a thing?"

"Three people are dead because of you!" Chie told him.

Mitsuo started laughing non-stop, "Ha… Haha… Hahahahaha!"

"Clearly deranged…," Rion said.

"Everyone's talking about it, right? It's a huge deal… and I did it! All of it! All by myself!" Mitsuo was laughing, and it was nothing like Yukiko's laughter. It was the laughter of someone who was clinically insane, and Souji knew it.

"You just wanted the attention?" Yosuke asked dumbfounded.

Yukiko asked Mitsuo, "Then why did you target me and the others? How did you kidnap us?"

Mitsuo had trouble breathing, "Whoa… Look who it is… Haha, hey Yuki. After all this time, now you wanna talk to me? Haha… what bullshit!"

Yukiko in her own silent anger again asked, "Answer me! If you held a grudge against me, that's fine… But why the others?"

Mitsuo laughed, "Haha… What a joke. You're so desperate it hurts. I didn't care who I attacked. Everyone pisses me off."

Souji wanted to kick his ass right here. He started to take a step, but Rion put his arm out and shook his head. "It's not worth it," Rion's face said.

"You what?" Yosuke asked in a threatening voice, "You gotta be kidding me. You killed Senpai over nothing! You son of a bitch!"

Souji had to restrain Yosuke from kicking Mitsuo. The only thing holding him back was Rion. He felt Yosuke's pain. Kanji walked forward towards the fish-eyed boy.

"I hope you're ready to get what's comin' to you," he said.

Mitsuo chuckled, "What? You gonna kill me?"

Yukiko yelled, "Kanji-kun!?"

Kanji lifted him up by his shirt, "Kill you? It ain't gonna be that easy, you piece of shit! What you did can never be taken back! No, you're gonna own up to your crimes and pay for what you did. You ain't gonna be allowed to kick the bucket until you understand exactly what it is you've done."

"….," Mitsuo sighed in resignment.

"You had to know it would come to this," Rion said, "There is no crime that does not have a punishment to it. You can not run and hide."

Kanji dropped the boy, and Yosuke yelled in despair, "Why dammit!? Why did she have to die because of this bastard?"

"….," the boy sighed again.

"Dude, the cops…," Kanji said.

"Huh?" Yosuke looked confused.

"What are you waiting for? Call the damn police!" Kanji yelled.

"Yeah… You're right." Yosuke muttered.

"Yosuke…," Chie looked worriedly at him

After the police picked him up, cuffed him, and took him to the station… The group returned to the covered table. The group seemed to have calmed down a little. Souji had wrapped a bandage around his wrist. He had hyper-extended it.

"At least Adachi-san seemed happy…," Chie said.

"Well… I guess this means our work is done," Yosuke said.

"He did it all to draw attention," Chie said, "I can't get my head around that. It's just wrong. I mean, not that it would've been okay if he had a better reason."

"I know… don't worry," Yosuke told her.

Rise told the group, "It's finally over. Let's leave the rest to the police."

Teddie smiled, "My world will be peaceful again now."

"Yeah, I'm happy for you," Yukiko told the bear/human, "We really went through a lot."

"It sure was painful at times…," Souji said, holding up his wrist. It hurt to flex it.

"Like scoring with guys!" Teddie told Yukiko.

Yukiko was annoyed, "Oh… Come on! Will you ever let it go?"

Kanji was confused, "What? Scoring with guys?"

Yukiko was flustered, "You don't need to know the details…" She taunted Kanji, "I'm sure you'd like us to forget the sauna incident too… right Kanji-kun?"

"Urgh… Well…," Kanji felt sick.

Rise pouted, "That's not fair. I wanted to see everyone else's too!"

Yosuke pointed out, "That's right. We four are the only ones who saw everyone's secret."

Chie asked Souji, "Hey, so what was Yosuke's like? C'mon, it was about time you told us."

"Uhh… Pretty much like the rest, I guess," Souji said.

"C'mon… let's leave it at that," Yosuke said. He then looked at Souji, "Speaking of which, nothing really happened in your case, huh?"

"Really? Wait, really? Is there something special about Senpai after all?" Rise asked. She looked in awe of Souji. Yukiko glared at Rise again. Souji just rolled his eyes at Rise.

Teddie told them, "Sensei is da man!"

Kanji told Souji, "Now that the case is solved, we won't be calling you "leader" anymore, will we?"

"Oh yeah, it's kinda sad," Chie looked down.

Everyone looked down… Rion was deep in thought as usual, which was probably why he wasn't talking. Rise had a brilliant idea!

"Hey, why don't we have a celebration!" Rise said, "We always have a wrap party after we're done shooting. It's fun, and it'll help give us some closure."

"Ooh… a party! That sounds great! Let's go all out!" Chie exclaimed.

"That sounds like fun…," Souji said. Souji was thinking, "Parties are always fun."

"Oooh ooh, I wanna go to Yuki-chan's house!" Teddie said, "Gorgeous dinner, hot springs, table tennis, yukata! Geisha, Fujiyama, full wootness!"

"That sounds like a great idea," Souji thought, "If it was only me and her…"

"You're right, Yukiko's family runs a hot springs inn," Kanji realized, "A hot spring that Yukiko-senpai bathes in too?"

Yosuke was disturbed, "Hey, keep it to yourself. You're sounding like a creep."

Yukiko pretended to look down, "Well, it sounds like fun, but I don't think it would be possible today."

Chie said, "Yeah, it's summer vacation. All the rooms are probably occupied."

Teddie looked sad, "We can't do a sleepover?"

"Maybe next time, I promise," Yukiko said.

Yosuke looked at Souji, "Hey, why don't we hit your place instead?"

"Mine?" Souji looked at him, "Fine, whatever."

"Oh, but will your uncle get suspicious? Like, why are you celebrating?" Yosuke asked.

"He's never home… But do you mind if Nanako is there?" Souji asked.

"Why would we leave her out? The more, the merrier…" Yosuke said.

"Yeah," Chie confirmed with Souji, "If your uncle is a detective, he probably won't be home tonight. Nanako-chan might be getting hungry."

Yukiko looked at them, "Hey, then why don't we make dinner together?"

"Wow… are you good at cooking, Senpai?" Rise asked Chie.

"Well… sort of," Chie responded. Souji, Yosuke, and Rion all cringed at that statement.

Yosuke got a worried look, "What are you saying?" He pointed out, "Did you already forget the tragedy of the school campout?"

Yukiko and Chie looked affronted, and Chie said, "We already told you that was an accident."

Souji thought, "Yukiko's cooking… is no accident."

Yukiko told him, "She's right. We only got a couple of ingredients wrong…"

"A couple… Ha!" Souji chuckled.

"I don't think it was a couple…," Rion said with a sigh.

Yosuke begged, "Guys, please don't do this, I'm begging you. We don't need another trauma to deal with."

"Hey, I'm a good cook too!" Rise exclaimed, "I'll make something for you, Senpai!" She smiled at Souji. Yukiko was glaring at Rise again. She was making it a habit. It didn't help that Rise was so flirty. "What's with this? My dream is going to come true where Yukiko kills Rise for hitting on me."

Souji looked worried about everything. Girls' cooking had been notoriously bad recently, and even he had a tendency to set his house on fire. Souji didn't know if he trusted Rion, because he couldn't fix Mystery Food X, but who knows… he didn't have much to work with. He didn't want to kill Nanako.

"Tadah! Teddie has a great idea!" Teddie said, "Let's have a cooking battle! The winner will be crowned Iron Cook Inaba!"

Yosuke frowned as he said, "A cooking battle? Now I'm even more worried…"

Chie said a little worriedly, "Sure… That sounds like fun."

Rise sounded confident, but looking sorry for the others, "Aww, but I'll win hands-down. You sure you wanna make it that easy?"

The others turned to Souji, and Yosuke said, "Dude, listen to me. For the sake's of our stomachs, you have to cook something too." He turned to Rion, "Can you make something too?" Yosuke looked at the pair, "Help us you two, you're our only hope!"

Rion looked up, "Wait, we're cooking something? Okay, whatever, I'll make something."

"How out of it was Rion?" Souji thought. "Was he thinking about the detective again? If he was, he's getting worse than Kanji. No, I bet he's probably just going over that whole battle and how to improve his tactics.'

"Sure, I'll do it," Souji said, "For my sake, and for everyone else's."

Chie turned to the pair and said, "Then you two can represent the guys' team. Nanako-chan will be the judge."

"I can be a taster too!" Kanji told them.

"I don't know if you want to…," Souji thought.

"Teddie can be a tester too!" The bear/human responded, "At the end, you're supposed to say, "That was delicious!" right?"

"You won't be saying that that often," Rion thought.

"Woo! I'm getting all fired up!" Chie exclaimed. She had stood up and pointed to the elevators, "Alright, let us advance forth into the grocery section downstairs! Charge!"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14  
I am butchering dialogue, battles, and s-links to get the novel version respectable. I can make characters more cynical, mean, out of character, and amusing. My character is "special" personality-wise.

I own nothing of SMT and Persona.

This travels from Iron Cook to start of 2nd semester. Hope you stomach and GI tract is still alive after Kujikawa's.

Last chapter before the story's gears start moving.

* * *

The group headed downstairs to the grocery department to find the ingredients for their cooking battle that would include Chie, Yukiko, Rise, Souji, and Rion reluctantly. First, they had to know what they were cooking, so they called Nanako. Souji wanted to make something that he was sure he would burn the house down with. Souji dialed his "home" number.

"Hello, Dojima Residence…," Nanako answered slowly.

"Hi, it's Big bro," Souji answered. He really grew to like his cousin.

"Oh, hi!" she responded cheerfully.

"Is Dojima gone for the night?" he asked.

"Yeah, he said he's gonna be late today," Nanako responded.

"Do you mind if we cook dinner there? All of us? My friends are coming over… You've met them, most of them," Souji asked.

"Huh? Dinner? You're all going to cook?" Nanako looked confused.

"Yeah…, oh hold on a second," Souji said as he put the phone in his hands and turned to the group.

"Ask Nanako-chan what she wants for dinner!" Chie told him.

"What do you want to eat for dinner?" Souji asked her.

Nanako responded, "What do I want?"

"Yeah… What do you want to have?" Souji asked his cousin.

Nanako responded, "Umm… Anything's fine."  
Hold on a second," Souji said as he turned to the others and told them what she said, "She doesn't care."

"She's just being modest," Yukiko told him, "Ask her again."

"No really, what would you like?" Souji asked again as he put the phone back to his ear.

"Well, umm…," Nanako was thinking and then said happily, "An omelet. I wanna eat an omelet with fried rice."

He told the group and then told Nanako, "An omelet. Okay, no problem! We'll be there."

"Okay, I'll be waiting!" Nanako said cheerfully.

"See you soon!" Souji said.

He hung up the phone…

Souji told the group, "She wants a fried rice omelet. An edible fried rice omelet."

Yosuke told Souji, "Fried rice omelet… An excellent choice, Nanako-chan. With a dish that simple, I doubt we'll get a second helping of Mystery Food X," he looked at the girls, "Huh? What's wrong?"

Chie stuttered, "Uhh… Nothing. Alright, let's go get our ingredients."

"Uhh… Where the hell are they going?" Rion asked as all the girls went in separate directions, "What are they going to make? Miso soup? Shrimp tempura?"

"Uh… if they're all making the same thing, why are they splitting up to different parts of the market?" Yosuke said as turned to Souji, "Looks like you'll need all the help I can give you," as Rion got some rice, eggs, soy sauce, and other assorted ingredients that are supposed to go in omelets.

Yosuke asked, "Hey, what kind of omelet are you making? I'll go get the ingredients for you."

"I'll make an Asian-American one. I think that's what Rion is making." Souji said as he gave a list of the ingredients that he needed to Yosuke. They were exactly the ones that were in Rion's cart. He felt confident that his kitchen would be safe at least with him. With him at least. Yosuke nodded and headed off to get them.

When they finished, there was a huge cartful of various items for the omelet battle. Souji had a good idea on who the winner would be.

"Okay, who has habańero peppers in this cart for an omelet?" Rion asked.

No one answered… and Rion shook his head, "I shouldn't have asked."

"Foie gras?" Yosuke asked. If possible, Yosuke had gotten more confused.

"Quite an eye you got there, Senpai!" Rise said, "It's a must-have for my special omelet. Don't worry, I'll let you have a taste. Ooh, maybe I should spoon-feed you." She said very seductively, "I heard last time you choked down something so awful that words couldn't describe it." Rise was so damn flirty, god only knows how much more flirty she acts around Souji.

"It was horrible," Yosuke was being overly dramatic; Chie and Yukiko got pissed and glared at the idol.

"You poor dears… Who would do such a horrible thing?" Rise asked sweetly.

Chie said slowly, "Rise-san? This is going to be the only chance you get to gloat, is that clear?"

Yukiko threatened, "I'll crush you with one strike!"

"Damn, she's hot when she's angry!" Souji thought. He almost started drooling.

Kanji had walked up, "Whoa! You guys look like you're ready to enter the Ultimate Frying Championship!"

"Kanji-kun! That's alcohol!" Yukiko pointed at the bottle in Kanji's hand.

Kanji tried to cover his ass as he said, "Huh? Oh, uh… Hahaha!" He quickly walked away to put it back.

"If he really wanted it, I could have bought it…," Rion muttered, "I look old enough. No one bothers to look twice at me, though I probably wouldn't buy it for him; it would be unethical."

Chie asked Yosuke, "By the way, where's Teddie?"

Souji looked at Yosuke, "That's a good question. Where is he?"

Teddie's voice could be heard in the distance, "Miss? Am I allowed to eat this?"

The group turned to see him by a sample tray off to the side. He was accosting some middle-aged lady who was giving out samples of meat. He was hoarding all of the samples.

"Of course you can, dear. Eat as much as you like!" the sample tray lady said.

"You're such a nice lady! Is this one cooked already?" Teddie was putting his charm on the lady.

She giggled, "This one's ready, too. Oh, my! Are you hungry for more? Here… I'll open this package too."

Teddie pulled more charm, "You're so beautiful."

"Oh my, no! No, I must'nt! I've got a husband and son!" the lady tried to resist Teddie's evil charm.

"But I really want this meat! And I want you to cook it for me, Miss."

"Ooh, I couldn't possibly. The manager would get so upset," the lady explained.

Yosuke muttered, "I'm gonna knock the stuffing out of that bear."

He kept charming the lady until they headed to Souji's place, or Dojima's as you'd like to think of it that way. Yosuke dragged him, hair first. Rise, Chie, and Yukiko were at the kitchen making their abominations, no… omelets.

While Rion and Souji were making theirs at the table; they had already cooked the meat, Kanji was sitting across from them and Yosuke was standing nearby making small talk. Teddie was sitting with Nanako by the TV talking to the little girl.

"Rise-chan was right. This celebration does make it feel like it's over," Teddie said, "The case really has come to an end." Teddie looked down as he said that.

Nanako looked happy though, "Wow! It's really Rise-chan!" She seemed really excited that her favorite idol had appeared at her home.

Teddie still looked down, "I should go back over there soon…"

"Are you going somewhere?" Nanako asked innocently.

"Yep… The guys kept their promise," Teddie explained. He still looked down.

"A promise, huh," Nanako said, and then asked Teddie, "What if you made a promise with me? Could you stay then?" She was rather innocent towards Teddie.

"A promise… with Nana-chan?" Teddie was thinking as he said that.

"Umm… A promise that you'll play with me. How about that?" Nanako asked.

Souji had walked up to the pair. He was almost done making probably one of the only edible meals in the house.

Teddie said to Souji, "Sensei… You kept your promise with me. So I should go back there."

Souji just told him, "Don't worry about it… We want you to stay."

"But a promise is a promise. It's not good to break them," Teddie looked down.

"We'll be lonely, besides, you promised Nanako," Souji told Teddie.

"Sensei…," Teddie looked at Souji with admiration, "My promise with Nana-chan. I made a promise to play with her. Can I really stay here? It wasn't just my promise. Nana-chan made it with me. I'm really… really happy. Thank you." There were tears in Teddie's eyes.

"No worries… We wouldn't have it any other way," Souji said.

Yosuke had come over and Teddie asked, "Yosuke… I have a new promise to keep. So… I wanna stay here a little longer. Is that okay, Sir?"

"Huh? What are you talking about? You're not going anywhere," Yosuke said, "You can't just quit your job like that. In any case, if you left…"

He was interrupted by Rise's voice, "It's reeady! Incoming food! Out of the way, Senpai!" Rise brought her dish over and ran over Yosuke. Yosuke was nearly knocked over by incoming idols.

"Whoa! Ow!" Yosuke rubbed his shoulder as Rise ran into him with his dish.

All five dishes made it to the table… without much incident. It was after it made it to the table; that Souji was worried about.

"Bon appetit!" Rise exclaimed to the group. She seemed really excited about people trying her creation.

Yosuke interrupted her, "Well… Wait a sec. Asking Nanako-chan to jump in and try these dishes for us is kinda unethical."

Yosuke was looking at the girls with a scared look. Chie responded, "Don't look at us like that!"

Kanji figured it out, "Ohhh… So it's our job to taste it first, to make sure we can keep it down."

"I guess so," Rion said. He looked at Yosuke, "I can understand where you are coming from, Yosuke. I did not even try to help them this time."

"Hey! That's mean!" Rise exclaimed. She looked at Yosuke, "Then try mine first, Yosuke-senpai. It's guaranteed delicious."

Yosuke looked happy, "You don't mind me going first? Actually, I've been looking forward to yours. I mean, Risette cooked it herself. Can you imagine how many guys would kill me if they found out?"

"In about ten seconds, I'm guessing about zero," Rion thought, "I doubt she's ever had to cook for herself."

"Well then, chow time!" Yosuke exclaimed. Yosuke looked like he was going gulp the thing in one go.

He took a bite and choked, "Urgh…" He struggled to find words through his pain. He looked like he was dying, "I can't give this to Nanako-chan."

Rise asked Yosuke, "Ooh… It's so delicious that you won't let anyone else have a bite?"

Souji tried the omelet of death. Words could not describe the pain he felt. It was so spicy… Lava spicy.

"Oh dear…, Wow," Souji muttered when he could finally speak, "I'm afraid not."

"Ooh… is it good?" Rise asked, "I thought the flavors would balance each other…" Rise looked at Souji.

"Right…" Rion rolled his eyes.

Yukiko looked at them, "Here, try mine next!"

Kanji told her, "I'll take this one."

As he took a spoonful, Yosuke warned, "Kanji… That's a lot." Yosuke was worried for Kanji's well-being after Mystery Food X.

As he took bites and more bites and didn't say anything, Yukiko nearly yelled at him, "Hey, say something!"

"Well… uh… How do I say this?" Kanji wondered. He ended up saying, "It tastes really… um… boneless."

Yukiko freaked out at him, "What! That's not a word you use to describe taste! Does it taste good or not? Tell me!"

"Damn! She looks hot again!" Souji thought.

Souji took a bite of the "boneless" omelet…

"Well… it's not going to kill me. I just don't taste anything in particular," Souji said. "Another Yukiko creation, that's for sure," Souji thought.

Kanji told them, "Not good, that's for sure. It tastes like… I'm eating plain oatmeal. It's pretty impressive that you put so many ingredients into a dish and it came out tasting like nothing."

Thankfully, Yukiko went off only on Kanji, "Your palate just isn't refined enough."

Nanako tried Yukiko's dish and took a bite of the oatmeal-ish thing.

"I think it tastes good," Nanako said.

'Nanako-chan!" Yukiko praised her.

"Okay… Try mine next!" Chie told them, "Urgh… I don't know about this… But I think it'll taste good! This time for sure." She was rather unsure.

"I'll give it a whirl!" Teddie replied.

As Teddie started eating, Chie asked, "How is it?"

Teddie exclaimed very excitedly, "Wow! This tastes awful! You have to try this, Yosuke!"

Yosuke looked at Teddie and said with a face, "Dude, not after you say that."

Regardless, Yosuke tried the terrible omelet. Souji decided it was probably only because of Yosuke's hidden feelings of Chie. Then again, he had feelings of Rise too. He said, "Ahhh… I see…"

Souji tried it next. It was terrible, "Oh… yeah…," Souji definitely had to agree with Teddie and Yosuke.

Yosuke answered, "Well… Um… It's a huge improvement over the curry."

Chie hung her head, "Yeah, thanks for the consolation. I feel so much better."

Nanako tried Chie's omelet after the guys.

"I think this tastes good too," Nanako said slowly and with a strained face.

"Nanako-chan!" Chie praised her.

Yukiko tried Chie's disaster after Nanako.

"Oh yeah, they're right. They're totally right. It tastes awful," Yukiko started laughing.

Chie lashed out at Yukiko, "Then try Rise-chan's. I bet you anything mine tastes better than hers."

Yukiko tasted Rise's food. It would not be a good sight as she took a bite.

"Urgh…" Yukiko fell over and was knocked unconscious.

"Senpai!?" Rise asked.

"Sure enough, one strike!" Kanji exclaimed.

"Well, Yukiko and Chie's didn't taste good either. But at least theirs didn't cause any casualties," Yosuke laughed.

"It's a taste too subtle for kids. It's a mature flavor!" Rise started to whine and tear up.

Rion looked at her, "I guess I'll try it… I am the oldest after all."

"Ha, maturity…!," Souji thought.

He tasted the omelet… He nearly freaked out in pain. He grabbed the milk he brought with him and downed it.

"Eeh… Who put habańero peppers in an omelet with foie gras?" Rion gasped.

"How did you know what I put in?" Rise asked.

"Do you want me to list the ingredients?" Rion was coughing as he said, "Habańeros are the hottest peppers you could have put in… It was pretty obvious they would overshadow the foie gras."

"You guys are just kids! I… I...," Rise started to cry all over the table.

Nanako tasted Rise's food as Rise showered the room. The house started to flood.

"Ngh…," Nanako said in pain. Yet, she still said through the pain, "It's spicy, but it's still good."

"Nanako-chan!" more praise came from Rise, "I knew it! Nanako-chan is the most mature person in this room!"

"Crocodile tears?" Chie accused Rise.

"Oh yeah, didn't you make one too, Senpai?" Kanji asked Souji.

"Didn't you?" Souji asked Rion, as Souji nodded. Rion nodded as well.

I made one for you guys," Rion said, "I'll go get it."

"You did," Nanako looked happy, "Ooh…" She tasted Souji's, "This is really good! I've never had an omelet with fried rice this good. It's amazing!"

"Are you full, Nanako-chan?" Chie asked.

Nanako nodded happily.

"We're still starving," Yosuke complained.

"If you're so hungry, then help yourself to an awful-tasting omelet! Hmph!" Chie rebuked him.

Just then, Rion came up with food… "Who wanted food?" he asked.

"An omelet?" Kanji asked, "Will this taste good?"

"I'll try it…," Souji said.

Souji tried it, and it tasted very good. "It's good," Souji responded, "Really good." He started eating it.

"Hey, don't hog it!" Yosuke exclaimed.

The single omelet was soon consumed by the others.

"Now, I'm the one who's starving," Rion thought to himself.

After eating the omelet, Yosuke stood up, "Uhh… I have a suggestion," he said, "You guys all know about the festival they're holding in the shopping district, right? Why don't we all go?"

Rise looked happy, "Oh, that sounds good!"

Teddie looked inquisitive, "Whoa! Does that mean all the girls will be wearing yukata?"

"A festival…," Nanako said slowly.

"We'll bring Nanako-chan along too," Yosuke said cheerfully.

Nanako looked at Souji, "I can come, Big bro?"

"Of course you can come with us," Souji responded.

"Really! Yay!"

"That settles it, then!" Yosuke put their minds at ease.

"The days of the festival, huh?" Rion was thinking to himself, "Damn it! Why do I have to work!?"

"Festival food always tastes great for some reason, even if ain't anything fancy," Kanji told his opinion to the group. He laughed, "Whew… We'll finally be able to get a good amount of edible food for once."

The girls did not like what he was saying and dipped their heads in shame. Souji chuckled inwardly.

"Well, it's settled then," Souji said, "We will all be going to the festival."

Souji sighed. The past few days he spent were not exactly the most exciting, but they were at least more interesting than listening to Kashiwagi whine.

He spent a few days hanging out with Rise. Souji found out that her parents were rather strict with her, and she didn't have many real friends.

"My classmates only liked me because I was Risette," Rise said, "Not because I was Rise."

"I see," Souji said, "I think I understand."

Souji just didn't feel the same about Rise, that's for sure.

He talked a little with Yukiko, trained with Chie, which was painful, and even hung out with Ai at the Okina Station. It was the first time he had hung out with her while not skipping class. Kou and Daisuke came and hung out with Nanako. Kou gave him some book about tea ceremonies, which Souji quickly threw away. "I don't need to learn about that shit!" he thought to himself. The best part of definitely being with Yukiko, but that was only a day or so.

Overall, a bummer of a few days before it started raining again.

It was August 12th and the news came on when he was eating with Nanako to tell them that "Because of the recent rain in the Inaba area, fog will be expected to come in overnight."

Souji decided it was time to go to the idiot box after eating and watch the Midnight Channel. It was still raining when Midnight came and the yellow screen came on. Of course, no one showed up choking or screaming in pain.

It was the next night that he was dining with Adachi and Dojima eating sushi with Nanako.

Adachi exclaimed, while at the table, "Wow, what a great spread! I've never seen so many pieces of fatty tuna!"

Dojima replied, "Well, if you're gonna have a celebration, you can't do it halfway."

"Celebration?" Nanako asked.

"Ah, it's about this," Dojima pointed at the TV, "Watch!"

The reporter talked, "I didn't care who it was," "I was pissed off." "I wanted to be famous."

The reporter was using quotes from Souji guessed was Mitsuo, "The suspect was often heard saying these things. The young suspect has confessed to being the culprit behind the recent cases, but he's shown no remorse so far. Because of several inconsistencies in the boy's deposition, some have called for a mental examination to be carried out. Until then, the police will be continuing their investigation to shed light on all prior incidents."

"Wow," Souji said, pretending to be shocked. Of course, he really wasn't. But… if you were the one who really witnessed the guy acting insane, who would think that guy wasn't insane.

Adachi told them, "It was actually pretty tough to make a case out of this. All we had was the suspect's confession and some circumstantial evidence. But the lab found the perp's prints on the victim's clothes, so we made it stick after all. Man, isn't crime scene investigation something? Who would have thought you could get viable prints from cloth?"

"That's impressive," Souji replied. He pretended to be impressed by the police's work.

"There's no more scary stuff to be worried about. You're safe now," Dojima told Nanako.

"Uh huh!" She told him happily. Souji didn't want Nanako to be scared anymore.

Adachi expressed to the group, "Man, that guy was twisted. A high schooler committing multiple murders and leaving the bodies like that… He was over the edge. Good thing we caught him! Now I can stop seeing suspects in every shadow!"

"No shit, Adachi!" Souji thought to himself, reminiscing about the photographer.

"If the killer was still on the loose…," Adachi was saying worriedly.

"Enough, Adachi!" Dojima exclaimed, "If you keep running your mouth, the sushi's gonna dry up."

Adachi apologized, "Oh, you're right. Sorry!"

"C'mon everyone! Eat up!" Dojima told to the group.

"Okay then," Souji said as he started eating.

"Well… since you asked…," Adachi started and looked at Nanako who wasn't eating and looking down, "Huh? You don't like sushi, Nanako-chan?"

Nanako explained, "There's wasabi in it," she told them.

Dojima remembered, "Ahh… that's right! I forgot to tell them to hold the wasabi. Here, I'll take it off for you. Which one do you want? Hmm?"

"Halibut!" Nanako said joyfully.

Adachi told her, "Excellent taste, Nanako-chan." He then said, "As for me, I'll go for sea urchin." Adachi made a grab for the one in the middle.

Dojima complained, "Hey, there's only one of those!"

"I'll just eat whatever sushi I can get, as long as it's edible," Souji said, "It's better than I usually get made for me." He had muttered the second part under his breath.

Adachi had already eaten the urchin, "Too late! First come, first serve!"

At least it was a happy and lively dinner with no crazy kicking or screaming. The best part, no one accused him of being around the crime scene, or interfering with the damn case.

On August 14th, Souji got a call from Chie.

"Hello?" Souji asked

"Hi, this is Chie!" Chie responded.

"Hello, Chie."

"I ran into Yosuke at Junes. He said he really was in a bind because he didn't have enough employees working at Junes."

"Man, that sucks for him…"

"He's probably going to come to you and beg for you to rescue him."

"Huh?" Souji asked.

"He'll be all, "You've got to save me from this chaos, Souji!" Chie announced

"Oh dear, so I got to help him now," Souji muttered.

"I feel kinda sorry for him, so I'm gonna help him out this week," Chie told him.

"I guess I have to go too," Souji resigned himself.

"He'll be glad, Souji-kun!" Chie said.

He had a few days before he had to become Yosuke's slave, but at least he'd get paid for it. Souji decided he'd hang out with Rise for a little bit. He did get some good money from scoring well on the test from his uncle. Starting the 15th, he agreed with Yosuke to work at Junes, so he joined them at the meglo-mart.

The conditions at Junes were hell on earth.

"Come get your grand delights!" Souji tried to advertise the food.

Yosuke sighed, "Why are there so many people here just for the hero show?"

"I have no idea," Souji responded.

"This is so freakin' tiring," Yosuke muttered.

"It's not going to get any easier," Rion had shown up to help and told the pair as he was helping to facilitate the visitors.

"Anyways, if you guys weren't here, I'd be a zombie by now," Yosuke admitted to them.

On the other side of Junes, Chie was trying to push the chilled food, "We've got shaved ice with all your favorite flavors! Cheer on the heroes while enjoying some shaved ice!" She sighed, "Ugh! It's so hot today!"

"You're kidding right?" Rion joked, "I thought it was supposed to be 0 degrees Celsius today."

"What's with Rion actually making a joke?" Souji thought, "Hell is freezing over as we speak."

Teddie was working tirelessly behind the meat counter. Souji wondered how he could serve meat in a bear costume.

The days at Junes continued and Teddie seemed about ready to keel over.

"Welcome, everyone! Beat the heat, and eat some meat!" Chie's voice rang out.

"How will eating meat cool you down?" Rion asked.

Chie went on about the different kinds of meat the customers could have, "Yakiniku! Grilled steak! Pork ginger! Chow down and restore the energy the brutal summer days have taken from you."

Teddie had stopped moving.

"Teddie finally kicked the bucket, Yosuke," Souji laughed.

"Man, Teddie really is dedicated, isn't he?" Yosuke asked Souji, "I'm melting in this short-sleeved shirt and he's wearing that huge costume. He's also standing in front of the griddle. How does he do it?"

"I guess he just does," Souji said.

Yosuke reminded the group that the summer festival was tomorrow and Rion just sighed.

Yosuke told them to meet at the shrine tomorrow night.

The next day was the summer festival. Souji headed out towards the Tatsuhime Shrine to meet his friends.

Teddie, Kanji, Yosuke, and Souji were walking up to the shrine.

"Funny, I remember this festival being a lot more crowded last year. Is it because of the murders?" Yosuke asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Souji said. He wouldn't know how crowded it was, but this year was pretty bad.

"Yeah, there aren't many people here this year. Well, I guess you can't blame them for being scared," Kanji responded, "Haven't seen the reporters around either. They sure are good at stirring up shit up and then disappearing. Well, I guess it ain't so bad to have thin crowds. What is important is that we get some ikayaki!"

Teddie looked excited, "Ooh… I wanna get some too! Kanji, what's ikayaki?"

"It's got octopus in it," Souji said.

They walked in amongst the booths buying ikayaki and takoyaki.

They got some food and were walking back when they started complaining about the girls.

"Man, they're late… Why were they meeting up at Yukiko's house in the first place?" Yosuke complained.

"Probably because it's the best-suited for getting ready," Souji said, picturing Yukiko in a yukata, "But where's Rion?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Yosuke asked.

"No, what is it?" Souji looked at him.

"Rion lives by himself. He has to support himself. He has to work over the summer festival," Yosuke said, "I think that's why he looked down every time we talked about the festival. I feel bad for him."

"Oh, I see," Souji said. "That really is bad for him. I know he doesn't have parents, but geez."

"Well… The girls will show up sooner or…," Kanji was saying.

Teddie noticed, "Whoa! Isn't that them?" pointed off into the distance.

Rise was in a pink and red yukata, Yukiko a dark blue, Chie was in a white and yellow, and Nanako was in a white and pink yukata.

"Sorry we took so long," Chie apologized.

Yukiko explained, "It took us some time to get dressed."

Rise explained, "You have to wrap towels inside, so they're not as breezy as everyone says.

"Well, considering how you're dressed underneath," Souji thought.

"It's kind of hard to walk," Nanako told the group.

"You look cute, Nanako," Souji told her. He was dumbfounded by the group, especially Yukiko.

Nanako giggled and blushed.

Teddie flirted, "Nana-chan, you look so cute. I'm head over heels for you."

Nanako blushed and giggled again, "Thank you."

Rise asked Souji, "How do we look, Senpai? Does the sight make your heart skip a beat?"

"Do I really have to answer which is the best?" Souji asked, and they nodded, "I think it suits Yukiko the best."

"Really?" she blushed, "Thank you…"

Yosuke noticed Kanji looking away, "Kanji, what are you looking away for? Don't tell you're ashamed to look. What are you, a monk?"

"That ain't it!" Kanji responded quickly.

Rise giggled at him, "Ahaha! You're so cute, Kanji."

Nanako turned around and noticed Dojima walking up to them as Kanji looked annoyed at Rise's comment.

"Hey… Thanks for looking after her," Dojima thanked the group.

"They bought me cotton candy!" Nanako exclaimed happily.

Dojima looked content, "Did they now? Alright then, you wanna go over and do the target prac… game with me?"

Nanako exclaimed in glee, "Uh-huh! Let's go!"

Dojima told the group, "I'll take care of Nanako from here. It's only a few times a year that this town gets charged up like this. You kids should go and have some fun."

The group waved off Nanako. She looked happy.

Teddie thought out loud, "Hmmm… A summer festival… Hrmmm."

The group turned around and Teddie continued, "A couple walking together at the festival… Unused to wearing it, the girl's yukata comes loose. Summer has begun."

"He's an idiot alright," Souji thought.

"What kind of tagline is that?" Chie asked.

Teddie responded, "We got to go two-by-two." He yelled out.

"Two-by-two?" Yukiko was confused.

"Coupling off," Souji said.

"See, I've been thinking. It's the summer, you're wearing yukata, and we're at a festival. It's just wrong for guys and girls to be walking in a big group like this. We should couple up while we're here. It's only natural," Teddie said.

Everyone except Rise and Souji looked worried. "Yukiko and I, now!" Souji thought.

"What the hell are you babblin' about?" Kanji gestured at Teddie.

"I'm with Teddie!" Rise exclaimed. There was no way she was not going to agree with this, and she already had set her eyes on who she wanted as her partner.

They looked at her and she explained, "C'mon, Senpai… why wear yukata in the first place? So we have memories we can remember fondly, right?"

"I guess…," Souji said.

"So we should pair off right away!" Rise said.

Chie looked at Yukiko, "Rise… What a terrifying girl. You got a point though… Good memories."

"I'm fine too…," Yukiko said nervously. "I wanna go with Souji. I don't want Rise to go with him," she thought. She then said, "Oh, what I meant is… Count me in."

Chie told the boys, "Alright… You guys decide how we'll split up."

Yosuke looked worried, "Seriously? You're leaving it up to us? Alright."

The group walked away a short distance from the girls and circled up.

"Three guys and three girls… What should we do?" Yosuke asked the group.

Teddie was confused, "Three guys? Aren't you missing one?"

"What?" Yosuke said, "Me, Kanji, and Souji make three."

Teddie was dumbfounded, "Whaa! You did that on purpose."

Kanji was reluctant, "Uhh… Should I really do this?"

Yosuke chuckled, "Oh yeah, you can barely look at 'em. We should have made Rion skip work. Though, who would he pick?"

"He'd probably jump ship too," Souji chuckled, "I'm kidding."

"No way! I can look at 'em! It'll be a cinch, just you watch," Kanji told them.

"I don't know about this…," Souji said.

"Nah, you should bail, Kanji. It'd be the best for everyone this way," Yosuke told Kanji.

"Wha! You don't believe me?" Kanji stood back.

"Well, I've made my decision!" Teddie said with confidence.

Kanji looked at the transformed bear, "Hey, wait 'til we're finished for that!"

Teddie told the group, "I want Chie-chan, Yuki-chan, and Rise-chan for my partners."

"What the hell!" Souji thought.

"That's not a decision," Yosuke told him, "You're the one who told us we had to pair off in the first place."

"I ain't joking here, Ted. If you try and butt in on this…," Kanji was warning the bear.

Teddie told Kanji," That's right, Kanji. This is serious business. And you are a true man. A true man wouldn't be prancing around with other girls at a place like this."

"Okay?" Kanji said slowly.

"How much more can you butter him up?" Yosuke told Kanji in disdain.

"I don't like where this is going," Souji said. He thought, "He's going to do something screwy."

Teddie told Kanji, "Kanji! This is a test to see if you can uphold your status as a true man. Phew! Now no one will be left out."

"Yeah… You're right," Kanji said, "Thanks, Teddie. You said it! Okay, count me out!"

Yosuke lamented, "Dude, come one! Don't fall for that!"

Teddie walked over to the girls, "It's decided. I'm going with all of you."

Everyone was confused, especially the girls.

"Huh? What's going on?" Chie asked.

"Oh, well, there would have been too many guys, so someone would have been left out," Teddie confessed, "I just couldn't let that happen."

"So you took all the girls instead and we're all left out," Souji griped.

"What! You little…" Yosuke yelled as Teddie tried to pull his charm.

"Haha, I see," Chie said.

"I wanted Souji but…," she was thinking but, Yukiko told Teddie jokingly, "You're so kind, Teddie."

"We let them decide, and this is what we get?" Rise said, "Aww, what a let down. Oh, well… Let's go then." "I get Teddie instead of Souji," Rise thought, "This is dumb."

"We fail, huh?" Yosuke questioned, "An epic fail."

"No doubt about that," Souji responded.

Off into the distance…

"Hey! Teddie!" Rise yelled, "Why are you buying another idol's photo!? Mine's in there too!"

Back with the guys, "Arrgh… what's with this?" Yosuke yelled.

"You just suck, that's all," Souji said.

"Hey, Ted! Hands off my corn!" Chie yelled at the bear-human.

Yukiko complained, "Teddie! You got ketchup on my yukata."

"I'm going to kick that bear's ass…," Souji muttered.

Souji spent the next day at the festival with the manager of the team for the hell of it. He wished for a good time with Yukiko. Would he get it? He hoped so… He smiled when the girl failed at the lottery game.

He hung out with Yosuke, but found that Nanako had some homework left to do. Maybe, a lot of homework left to do.

"A slacker like me," Souji thought, "I've taught her well!"

She was happy to receive help from her Big bro.

"Thank you Big bro for the help!" Nanako told him.

"Not a problem," Souji replied.

"I'll start with some spelling practice…," she said.

That was exciting after you double-checked her work, and found she did it all perfectly.

"She's too smart," Souji thought, "I hope she doesn't turn into the next Rion. That'd be unbearable."

The next day, Nanako had to write three proverbs for her class.

"Ahh… let's see what we can find," Souji said.

"Oh… I know one. "A rolling stone gathers no moss." Dad always says that one," Suddenly, a doorbell rang and Nanako looked up, "Who can that be?" Nanako asked.

It was Yosuke and Teddie to help with Nanako's work.

"We had a little event going on at Junes today. Here's a souvenir for you, Nanako-chan," Yosuke said, "Oh, are you doing your summer homework? I feel sorry for you."

Teddie told her, "Alright! I'll help you, Nana-chan. Umm… Proverbs, uhh… Oh, I have one. "Cogito ergo sum.""

"Where did you pick that one up?" Yosuke asked, ""Don't cast pearls before swine" is something more like what'd you say."

Both helped Nanako finished today's homework with some laughs included.

Tomorrow, Souji helped Nanako with her homework again.

"I have to write an essay about something I remember," Nanako said.

"Well, there are a lot of good memories to choose from," Souji told her, "We just need to pick one." He thought about the time they did magic tricks.

The doorbell rang, "Is someone here today too?" Nanako asked.

It was Chie and Yukiko here to help with homework.

"I heard from Yosuke that Nanako-chan is doing her homework, so I'm here to help you," Chie said as she sat by. Yukiko was standing over the three as Chie asked, "You're writing an essay? Have you decided on a topic, Nanako-chan?"

"Not yet?" Yukiko asked as Nanako shook her head, "Hmm, let's see… How about the time when we went to the festival together?"

Nanako smiled, "That's right! The ikayaki was so good, and I had so much fun."

"Well, I think you have your topic," Souji said.

They finished today's homework and set off for tomorrow.

Another day went by and so another day helping Nanako with her homework. Today, Nanako was writing a book report.

"I already finished reading the book, so I just need to write about it. A king goes deep into the forest, and…"

The book report went well and Souji felt good about it.

"He was all alone… so he wasn't angry or sad. The king said he was happy, but I feel sad for him." She asked Souji, "Umm… Big bro? Do you feel happy when you're alone?"

"I think it depends," Souji told Nanako.

"I see…," Nanako said, "Maybe I should write about you, too…" Souji wasn't sure about that.

The next day, Nanako was doing her art homework.

"I have to make something out of stuff I find in the house," she said, "A milk carton, a paper towel tube, knitting wool, origami paper… What else do we have?"

The doorbell rang… It was Rise, Rion, and Kanji.

"Senpai said that Nanako-chan was doing her summer homework. You should have told me!" Rise exclaimed. She pouted though, "But, it looks like I picked the wrong day to come. I can't do any of this art stuff."

"Me neither," Nanako pouted.

"That's why we have Kanji," Souji said.

"Huh… Let me see what you've got," Kanji responded.

Kanji crafts some amazingly detailed car thingy.

Rion took a piece of paper and began writing a bunch of notes on it. It was a detailed song, "Here's what Rise is good at…"

"Is that a song?" Rise asked.

"Well… yeah," Rion said.

Souji just shook his head.

It was another day of working on Nanako's homework.

"I have to write a paper on my favorite animal," Nanako said, "Hmm… which one should I choose?" she asked herself.

"Well… is it one that lives in the sea, or one that lives on the land?" Souji asked.

"Oh… I know. There's a picture of it on that shirt Dad bought me. What's it called? A platypus? I'll write about platypuses!"

"That's cool. You should have an easy time," Souji said.

Nanako began researching platypuses in a book she had.

"The platypus lays eggs. And they have poisonous claws!" She looked at Souji and pointed at him, "Question! Is it male or female platypuses that have the poisonous claws?"

"I know Teddie has poisonous claws…," Souji said.

"Huh?" Nanako looked confused, "Teddie has poisonous claws? He has hands."

Souji had finished his summer homework very quickly and it looked like Nanako had one more piece of work to do too.

"This is the last thing I have to do for my homework," Nanako said.

"What is it?" Souji asked.

"I just need to write a picture diary," Nanako told him, "Umm… Big bro and Dad…"

"Okay…," Souji said.

"Um… let's see, August 27th… Ah, I don't remember the weather," Nanako said, "Umm… Big bro? Did it rain the day we did my art homework?"

"It did, but it stopped by the time we worked on it," Souji said.

"Oh that's right! Thank you!" Nanako told him, "Big bro and his friends helped me a lot with my homework. They were so nice. I like them a lot." She looked at Souji who was trying to see how she was doing, "No! Don't look!" Souji was just happy that he was included in her homework.

The next day he spent the day hanging out with Yukiko.

August 31st was the last day of summer break, and when he came down, Nanako was waiting for him.

"Oh, you finally came down," Nanako told him.

"Yeah… I had to get ready," Souji said. He had just finished buttoning up his shirt as he came down, and popped his collar.

"Um, I got a call from Dad. He said someone gave him a watermelon. It's too big for us to eat, so he said you should call your friends over," Nanako asked gleefully, "Do you think Teddie and your other friends can come?"

"I'll give them a call. I'm sure they can," Souji responded.

He called Yosuke and Yosuke picked up almost immediately.

"Hey, Yosuke. We have a watermelon," Souji said.

"Watermelon?" Yosuke inquired.

"Do you want to come and have some?" Souji asked.

"Yeah, definitely. I haven't had any yet this year. I'm gonna call up the others so you better not smack it open before we get there," Yosuke sounded really excited.

Everyone had shown up for some watermelon. They had arrived rather quickly. It made the second time in only a few weeks that they had crowded into their adobe.

"Um, Dad got a watermelon from someone, so he said we should call everyone," Nanako said excitedly from the couch.

"Man, a watermelon!" Kanji exclaimed, "'Cause of all the stuff that's gone down this summer. I completely missed out. So where is it? The fridge?"

Rise was annoyed, "Gee, Kanji. They invited us over. At least show some manners."

"We gotta smack it open first!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"Huh? Are we seriously going to do that? We can't eat it if it gets all crushed," Chie wondered.

Yukiko lightened the mood as she said cheerfully, "But, but, doesn't it sound like fun?"

"I wanna do it too!" Nanako smiled.

"That seals it," Souji said, "If Nanako wants to, we smack it." "Yukiko wants to do it too," Souji thought.

"I'll swing at it with everything I've got!" Teddie told the girl, "The splattering fruit juice! Bursts of joy! One night of love… The bitter sweetness of those days is the essence of youth."

"Only Teddie can make the simplest things sound nasty," Rion muttered.

Yosuke shook his head, "That makes no sense at all. And dude, will you cut out those commercial lines of yours."

"That's the essence of youth," Nanako said.

"Oh great… look what you did Teddie," Souji complained to Teddie.

"We can expect nothing less from someone who knows nothing but what he sees on TV or at Junes," Rion shrugged.

The door opened and Dojima was home, "I'm home… Whoa, that's a lot of shoes. How many people are here?"

Nanako ran over to Dojima, "Welcome home! Um, let's split the watermelon open!"

Dojima was nervous, "Say what? Um, you see… We had already opened the watermelon with the others in the neighborhood and shared it with the others."

"Wha…!?" Nanako looked really disappointed.

They took some of the large watermelon pieces that were left and shared it with Souji, Nanako, and their friends. They were all eating out on the porch.

Dojima looked to a pouting Nanako, "C'mon Nanako, don't pout. Everyone came here to hang out, right?" As Nanako still looked down, "I'm really sorry," Dojima said to her, "It never occurred to me that you'd want to do that."

"Hey, Nanako-chan. Let's do it again sometime," Chie said, "Next time, we'll do it right… at the beach."

"Seconded!" Rise smiled.

"That sounds great," Souji said.

Yosuke had another one of his thoughts, "Whoa! Does that mean we get to see you guys in swimsuits? Oh… but there probably aren't enough days left. We'll have to do it next year."

"He would want to see them in bathing suits," Souji thought.

Nanako looked at the ground, "Next year…" Nanako looked at the group, "Will you play with me next year too?"

"Of course we will!" Chie said.

"I don't see why we would not," Rion said as he gestured with his small piece of watermelon.

"You betcha!" Kanji exclaimed while chewing down noisily on his watermelon.

Yukiko repeated, "You betcha!"

"Did you hear that, Nanako?" Dojima looked at her.

"Yep! Thank you!" Nanako exclaimed.

They all went home eventually and Nanako fell asleep. Rion and Yosuke were the last to go, and Rion helped clean up. Dojima appreciated it.

Souji and Dojima were talking in the living room.

"Thanks for everything today, Souji," Dojima said.

"That's not a problem. I was glad," Souji responded.

"It's been a while since I last saw Nanako in high spirits like that."

"I'm glad too," Souji said.

"The case is finally solved… Now for all the… Eh, never mind. Save it for some other time," Dojima wanted to say something else it seemed.

"Alright, I understand," Souji nodded.

"You know. You really made some great friends," Dojima smiled.

"Thanks. I think so too," Souji agreed.

Unfortunately, the second term would start tomorrow.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15  
I am butchering dialogue, battles, and s-links to get the novel version respectable. I can make characters more cynical, mean, out of character, and amusing. My character is "special" personality-wise.

This may be what some of you are waiting for. This is the lead-up to the Port Island Trip and the trip itself. The OC starts to gain a real personality… I think. Souji would have laughed at my stupidity, but then again, I am the epitome of Rion. Hope you like it.

P.S.- They can't use their Personas in the real world, obviously by the dialogue. But, I'm giving the liberty that they have the cards in the real world. Okay?

I own absolutely nothing of SMT and Persona. Call Atlus if you want some.

* * *

"Man… The first day of school is going to suck," Souji said as he walked down the flood plain towards Yasogami, "I don't even think Rion is that excited about it." Souji did not want to get up. He enjoyed sleeping in late, not really paying attention to anything, and hanging out with friends at any time he wanted to.

As he got to the gates, Chie and Yukiko were there to greet him.

"Mornin'," Chie greeted Souji.

"Good morning, Souji," Yukiko said.

Souji returned the greeting, "Hi. I don't really want to be here." He was happy to see Yukiko though. If only he didn't have to share with class time with Kashiwagi, it'd be much better.

Chie sighed, "Summer vacation is over already."

Yosuke and Rion walked up to the gates at this point and stopped by the silver-haired boy, the kung fu loving girl, and the inn keeper.

"Yo, guys. I got lost on my way here," Yosuke joked.

Rion responded, "He only got here because I found him." Souji could see him rolling his eyes.

"The vacation was pretty long," Yukiko replied.

"Not that long…," Chie shook her head.

"I wish it was longer," Souji said.

"Don't we all?" Rion asked.

"Do you?" Souji questioned Rion.

"It wouldn't have been too bad," Rion shrugged. He thought, "I could have made some more money."

As they turned, Souji thought to himself, "You learn something new everyday."

The five of them started walked up through the gates when they saw an unexpected person walking towards them. It was Naoto Shirogane.

"You got to be shittin' me," Rion thought to himself, "The new semester is going to suck."

"Good morning," Naoto said.

"Uhh…," Souji was surprised.

"You… You're that pint-sized detective!" Yosuke exclaimed. He was surprised too. No one could hear Rion chuckling on the inside, obviously.

"I beg your pardon?" Naoto seemed affronted, "My name is Naoto. Please, don't give people bizarre nicknames you make up on the spot."

Yukiko asked, "Um… You know this is a high school, right?"

Rion started laughing inwardly again. It took all of his control not to do a "Yukiko" and lose it right here.

Naoto looked unamused, "My cooperation with the police has come to an end. However, there are aspects of the case with which I remain unconvinced. There are some family-related issues as well, so I've decided to stay here for the present. From today forth, I'll be a first-year at your high school."

Naoto walked away a bit before saying, "I though I should at least introduce myself to you all. I trust my relations will be cordial, Senpai." Naoto walked off.

Souji and the other members of the group did not have a response to give to Naoto as the detective walked off.

"Senpai…?" Chie inquired, "That detective boy's… our underclassman?"

"You didn't know Shirogane was younger than you?" Rion responded, "It was pretty obvious."

"Shirogane… Rion?" Souji joked, "You sound closer than I thought to him."

"Don't think anything of it," Rion responded, "I just know things." "Conniving little…," he was thinking.

It didn't take long before Souji got stuck answer more annoying questions. It was when soccer was introduced into the Olympics. It was 1900, and he didn't even need Rion for that. Of course, being around Daisuke so often, it was easy for him to kick everyone's ass in soccer, especially with Rion on his team. Of course, Rion got a yellow card for slide tackling. That made Souji laugh.

After school, the older students met up by the shoeboxes. Souji was the one who was closest to the bulletin board.

"Man, school's as dull as ever," Yosuke admitted as he shrugged, "With the case closed, the days feel so empty all of a sudden." Souji could agree.

"It's not that bad," Souji said. He tried to find a positive side to it. He pictured a girl with long black hair.

"C'mon Yosuke, everything went back to normal. It's a good thing," Chie told the headphone wearing boy.

Yosuke defended himself, "I didn't mean it in a bad way. It's just…"

Yukiko told the group, "Hey… we're stopping by Junes later, right? Why don't we ask Naoto-kun to join us?"

"That'd be a disaster waiting to happen;" Rion thought, "Naoto would question us on our involvement in the case."

The rest looked confused until Yukiko explained, "Oh, I just thought… Since he doesn't know anyone yet, he must feel lonely."

"He feels lonely?" Souji asked.

Yosuke asked himself, "Didn't he say he came out to help out with the murder case? With the case closed, he's just an ordinary guy now. And if you think about it, it makes him a transfer student… just like us."

"I guess he is a transfer student," Souji agreed, "I don't see a problem with inviting him."

"Except for one key fact…," Rion was thinking.

Rise had walked up, "Hello, Senpai!" she told Souji.

"She's overly cheerful, like always," Souji thought.

Yosuke told the group, "Maybe he transferred here out of plain stubbornness. Cause' he doesn't seem like he's in it for fun."

"Alright. Let's see if he wants to hang out with us," Souji said. "We'll see if he actually wants to come, however," Souji thought.

"A celebrity coming to school is already a surprise, but a detective is even rarer," Chie told them, "I'm a little curious to see what his family's like, too."

"There's that, and the fact that he is a detective at his age," Yukiko seconded.

The group walked over to where Naoto was. Naoto was in the 1st floor of the classrooms and was being confronted by two girls.

"Holy shit! This is freakin' hilarious!" Rion thought as he saw the girls trying to talk to Naoto. Naoto seemed a little uncomfortable, but perfectly in control of the situation.

"Oh, speak of the devil. There's the little guy," Yosuke said.

"I think he's in a little situation right now," Souji said, "A precarious one."

The two girls were speaking to Naoto by the windows across from Class 1-2.

One girl said to the detective, "You don't the area yet, right? C'mon, we'll show you around." It was obvious the two were flirting with the new transfer detective.

The other said, "There's probably tons of places to hang out that only we'd know about."

Naoto rebuked them, "That won't be necessary."

"Oh… burned!" Souji thought.

Naoto continued, "I am not interested in "hanging out", nor am I interested in you two."

The girls did not look amused by Naoto's comments and rejection.

"Huh? Hey, what did you say?" the first girl asked.

The second girl asked Naoto, "What's with that attitude? We are just trying to be friendly."

"Ahh… I know why Naoto isn't interested…," Rion thought to himself, "Not like Naoto will explain, however…"

"Geez… way to make an impression," Yosuke muttered. He walked towards the detective and saved the detective from the girls who had moved closer, "Yo, Naoto-kun! How's it going?"

The first girl was taken aback by Yosuke's interference, "Oh, um…"

It became even more awkward as Kanji came by the group all of a sudden, "Hey guys. 'Sup!"

The second girl became nervous with Kanji around and shied away from him, "Uh, well, we'll be going now."

The two girls walked quickly away from Naoto and passed the group without looking at any of them. Meanwhile, the group walked up to the young detective to speak to Naoto.

Naoto looked at them and said, "So we meet again. May I help you?"

"Hey, Naoto-kun! If you're not doing anything after school, wanna come with us?" Yosuke asked.

"Come with… You mean me?" Naoto seemed a little surprised.

"I believe that was the question that was being put forth," Rion responded. Souji noticed he tried to look normal this time, and was not looking like he was out to kill someone.

"Perhaps another time. I have some things to mull over," Naoto confessed.

"Things to mull over?" Rise looked confused herself.

Naoto told them, "I must go straight home today. I promised my grampa so."

"Grampa?" Kanji asked. He was trying his hardest not to run away. Souji think he understood where Kanji was coming from.

Chie looked resigned and said, "Oh well… That's that, then. Let's hang out some other time then."

Naoto nodded at the group, "I will think it over."

"Just you wait, Shirogane…," Rion said to himself, "I will expose you as the fraud you are."

Even though the group didn't include Naoto in the discussion, the group still met at Junes after speaking to Naoto. They met only a few minutes after that.

Yosuke told the group at their table, "Man, did you see Naoto's attitude? He totally blew his debut at school. Is he gonna be okay at Yasogami?"

"Not exactly the best first impression to make," Souji said.

Yukiko suggested to Yosuke, "He is different, but he has this… mysterious air around him that draws your attention."

"Whoa, Yukiko, I never knew… You like younger guys?" Yosuke asked inquisitively.

"No, that's not what I meant," Yukiko explained. "I like Souji! Idiot!" Yukiko thought to herself.

Kanji was complacent, and did not seem very willing to talk. Souji definitely noticed that.

"Naoto-kun said he has things to mull over, but he's gotta be talking about the murder case," Chie told them.

Yosuke looked at Chie, "He's some ace detective, right? I bet he's not satisfied… even though the case is closed."

"That's true… but…" Chie was saying.

"I'm not satisfied myself, but I need more information," Rion said.

"What? You think we're missing something?" Souji asked.

"Of course… There are always things that don't add up." Rion was thinking to himself, "Mental disposition, cause of death, and the reason why people died." Rion said, "That is why Naoto is acting like that."

"Oh…," Souji said. Souji shook his head. He did not really understand where Rion was coming from, but did Rion have an intellectual equal? Knowing Rion, not even Naoto was his equal.

"Anyways, this place isn't our special headquarters anymore," Chie said with her head down, "Eh, let's talk about something else."

"Isn't the class trip coming up soon?" Yosuke asked, "Um… Where are we going?"

Yukiko answered, "Tatsumi Port Island. I heard it's an artificial island that faces the ocean. It's a pretty big city."

"Huh? Port Island?" Rise asked, "I did tons of shoots there. It's just beyond the Moonlight Bridge, yeah? Should be lots of places to hang out there.

"Fun places to hang out?" Souji wondered as he said to the group. He thought, "Maybe I can sneak away with someone, no?"

"It's pretty big. It was built with a corporation's mandate," Rion told the group, "It grew out from there. I've been around there a few times as well." Rion felt a pang in his heart as he thought, "I never want to go back. I can not tell them… For their own sake."

Chie would ruin the fun, "Uh, actually… we may not have any time to goof off during this trip. I heard the school board is changing the trip's schedule this year. The idea is, we're going to visit a private school there. Like, to have local and urban interact or something. It'll be all about studying and serious business or something… Yuck."

"You got to be kidding," Souji said, "It sounds pretty stupid. It's not very smart to have a class trip based on that."

Rise looked pretty disgusted, "Ugh… They're totally missing the point of a class trip."

"What kinda place is this private school?" Yosuke asked.

"I heard it's really good. They have nice buildings and everything," Chie responded.

Rion muttered, "Rich kids go there on scholarship. Poor kids get left out and have to go to some other school unless your parents are dead."

"What the hell!?" Souji asked. "How does Rion know this?" he thought.

"The school is closed on the day we're going there. So, they're going the extra mile to make this work," Chie said.

"So, we won't actually interact with any students," Souji said.

"Figures…," Yosuke muttered.

"They want us to tour some factories on the second day, and then we're going back on the third day," Chie told the group.

"I refuse to follow that schedule," Souji said.

Yosuke complained, "That's no different from a social studies field trip! Urgh… I didn't want to know that."

"Can't expect much from a school-sponsored trip, I guess," Kanji shrugged, "Well, we'll be around, so if it starts to drag, we can ditch."

"I'll show you guys around!" Rise smiled.

"But we're in different years," Yosuke pointed out.

Yukiko told Yosuke, "Oh, didn't you know? The excursion will be like the campout. They are combining the first-years and the second-years. Since student enrollment is down, and they are short on funds, they've cut the excursion back to once every two years."

Kanji told Yosuke, "Well, at least we won't be bored with you around, Senpai."

Rise laughed, "Gosh, I'm trying to remember the last time I went to Port Island and I wasn't working. This'll be great."

"Yeah… great," Rion said sarcastically. No one noticed the sarcasm in his tone of voice.

Souji told the group, "I wish I was as excited as her. It just seems like a pain in the ass to me."

Chie looked at them, "Some people were against the proposition, but it's been decided. Oh, and guess who's idea it was? King Moron's. It's just the kind of thing he'd come up with."

Yosuke lamented, "No… King Moron! Why must you torture us from beyond the grave?"

Teddie came walking by the table suddenly in his bear suit, "No… King Moron!"

Kanji looked at the bear, "You don't even know who that is."

"Maybe he does," Souji responded, "We kept mentioning him as the third victim."

Teddie looked at the group, "Hey! Tell me more about this trip. Where is Port Island? What's there?"

Yosuke told him off, "Get back to work, will ya!"

Chie told the group, "Well, even though the class trip is coming up, it's still a ways away. What should I do until then?"

"Umm… Actually study for once?" Rion said under his breath.

Kanji looked at her, "Well, it's not like we got much to do here in the first place. Man is just an animal trying to figure out how to kill time through his days."

"Huh. You made that sound like you're being philosophical," Chie said.

"The fact of the matter is, is that it made no sense at all," Souji finished the statement.

"Sorry…," Kanji muttered.

"Snrk…," Yukiko started laughing.

"Great…," Rion muttered as the others tried to stop her laughing to no avail.

The day ended without much incident. Souji got up for his second day of school yawning repeatedly. Luckily, Nanako was there to make him breakfast and he didn't have to put much effort into anything.

Walking to school, Souji heard a lot of groaning from students about coming to school and entrance exams.

Some of the students in the school were just glad that the murderer was caught, "I wonder why Rion is so worried though?" Souji thought, "Probably just like Naoto is worried as well… why are they both worried, though?"

The school day was pretty boring and Souji went fishing after school. He started cussing after the fish got away. "Figures," he thought.

"Welcome back!" Nanako said after Souji got home from his futile fishing.

Souji hung out with Dojima and Nanako that night. They talked over coffee and played some games.

Saturday was a day to hang out with Rise. They just went out to the Central Shopping District and had ramen when she was ambushed by her former agent on the way home.

"I'm not coming back!" Rise yelled.

"But… Everyone…," the former guy who must have been her agent.

"Inoue! I don't care! I've made my decision already!"

"You were perfect for that role! You were perfect for that movie!" the man named Inoue said.

"I've decided that when I've finished high school, I'm marrying this man," Rise answered. She locked her arm with Souji's.

This shocked Inoue. "Is this true?"

"Uhh…," Souji thought. Souji went along with it for the moment so Rise wouldn't look stupid. The manager looked dismayed.

"I'll be back… but not today," the manager said.

Rise seemed happy that Souji went along with her. He just did it to be nice. He was Rise's friend after all.

He also found out that another idol was becoming popular and was stealing Rise's thunder as they walked back. Rise didn't know how she felt about this.

She started to have feelings of going back into modeling, acting, and everything else.

The next day would make Souji extremely happy. But, he couldn't tell anyone about it.

"Hello?" Souji had picked up the phone.

"Hello, this is Yukiko."

"Good morning, Yukiko."

She asked him, "Umm… can I meet you today if you have some free time?"

"Sure, no problem."

"Okay, I'll see you in a bit."

The two of them decided to meet that day at the Tatsuhime Shrine. Yukiko wanted to pay her respects to something.

"Are you going to wish for anything, Souji-kun?" Yukiko asked.

"I'm going to wish for you to be happy…," he told her. He was a little surprised he had said that, but now was a good as time as ever.

"Wha!?" Yukiko said. She was blushing red, "Thanks…"

"Well… I'm wishing for everyone's health. For Chie, for you, for the others… and for everyone at the inn. And I'm wishing to be become a woman worthy of you, Souji. Finally, I wish for everyone to be able to smile together." She looked at Souji, "Let's start our prayer." Her wish made Souji smile.

They prayed at the shrine together as they folded their hands and said their words in their mind.

After the prayer, Yukiko had something to say.

"I've decided not to leave Inaba," She said, "I never really objected to being the inn's manager per se," she told Souji, "I just didn't like the fact that it wasn't up to me. I felt like my life was on rails. And I thought running away was the only option for me. But no longer, I want to protect the family inn. After all, it's near to my heart." She looked at Souji again, "Thank you, Souji-kun. I think it's because of you, that I realized this. Because you were always at my side."

"I was glad to help you Yukiko," Souji said. Souji felt rather fulfilled with what Yukiko was saying. He was able to help the person he cared about the most.

She was smiling at Souji gently.

Though she looked stronger and more confident, Yukiko suddenly blushed at Souji. "Umm… I wanted to ask you this before," she was extremely nervous, "Why… Why are you always with me?" She was blushing profusely now, "Is it okay for me to ask…?"

"I really like you, Yukiko," Souji responded, "I've always liked you." Souji was in glee in his head, "Finally! I was finally able to say how I felt."

Yukiko backed away in surprise, blushing, "Huh? You like…? Me? "

She was blushing like crazy as Souji grasped her hands, "Of course I like you, Yukiko," Souji said calmly.

"Uh… umm… I feel the same way… in that respect…," Yukiko told Souji, "I thought my heart was going to stop. Umm… stay with me… just a little longer."

"Of course," Souji told her. He moved close to Yukiko and tilted his head. At first, Yukiko was taken aback and was blushing even more. She composed herself enough to move her lips forward enough to make contact with Souji's lips. It was a light kiss, but Yukiko was turning as red as her lips. They spent a long time just holding each other. "Yukiko," Souji said to her.

"Hmm…," she was enjoying hiding in his shoulder where no one could see them at the shrine.

Souji asked her, "Can we not tell anyone about this for a while?" He moved his arm away for a second, "I don't want to hurt anyone by them finding out without having a good way of telling them."

"Are you sure?" Yukiko said, "It may end up being worse. You don't want to anyone to know? So I can't tell Chie?"

"I only trust one person not to tell anyone. Otherwise, they'll find out too soon."

"Alright, who is that?" Yukiko inquired.

"Rion… He wouldn't tell anyone, though he'd laugh at me. He wouldn't tell anyone even if you tortured him."

"That's probably true. Okay, then," Yukiko agreed, "Though maybe you shouldn't tell him."

They spent a little more time together, mainly Yukiko just being held in Souji's arms and went their separate ways after Souji walked Yukiko to the inn.

He spent most of Monday and Tuesday in a daze. He didn't really pay attention to the questions asked to him in class. He just hung out with Yosuke on Monday. Yosuke questioned why he looked so happy, and Souji just said he just felt happy today. Yosuke shrugged it off.

He spent more time with Yukiko on Tuesday. He couldn't wait for Tuesday really. He spent time snuggling under the trees in Samegawa with her in seclusion. She was completely in Souji's hands. He didn't mind that at all. He was thinking of asking her to come to his house soon, but after the school trip. "This feels so good," he thought to himself stroking Yukiko's hair as she lay against his stomach. Tuesday was much better than Monday. Though, he'd have to deal with Rise eventually.

Wednesday was the day before the class trip. He saw Kanji and Yosuke on his way to school.

"Mornin', Senpai," Kanji greeted him.

"Yo," Yosuke said.

"Hey guys," Souji said with a smile. He was smiling a lot lately.

"So are you ready for the trip yet?" Yosuke asked, "This guy won't shut up about it."

"I guess so," Souji responded.

Kanji chuckled, "Yosuke-senpai hasn't even started packing yet. He's all like, "Was that tomorrow?" 'Sup with that?"

"I don't know. I haven't really packed much either," Souji shrugged. Souji was concentrating on other things. What do you think Souji was concentrating on?

Yosuke looked at Kanji, "You are way too excited about this. I mean, you're even worried about how many boxes of animal crackers to bring." He commented on his worries, "We're only going to be there for two nights, dude! Besides, I'm pretty sure they have convenience stores in Port Island."

"I don't think you'll run out of penguins before the end of our trip, Kanji," Souji chuckled.

Kanji looked at them, "For serious? I've never really left this place, so...," Kanji seemed to be thinking, "Huh… I wonder if the murders here got as much play over there, too." They looked at them inquisitively and Kanji answered, "Like that Mitsuo Kubo dude. They're still showing him on TV here. Every time I switch on the tube, the news is showing like, what he wrote in his yearbook. Pisses me off, man."

"I kind of doubt it, Kanji," Souji replied, "Inaba is sort of small compared to where we are going."

"I mean, the frickin' media is slapping together anything to make this guy look like a natural born criminal," Kanji looked disgusted.

"Well, it's natural," Souji replied, "People can say what they wish about a criminal if this person looks like he was one all of his life."

"I still hate the guy's guts, ya know," Kanji said, "But, I dunno. After getting involved in this stuff, I started to realize how off-based all these rumors are. It's so messed up," Kanji muttered and confessed.

"I have to agree with you. It's not something that was easy," Souji replied to him.

"Well, I gotta admit, the news can be pretty out there," Yosuke agreed with Souji. Yosuke turned around and noticed Naoto coming by, "Hey, it's Naoto!" Kanji noticed, and turned away, looking nervous.

Naoto came up, hat on, and the detective briefcase in hand. Souji wondered if Rion was going to pop up next. That was wishful thinking, of course.

"Yo, how's it going?" Yosuke asked the detective as Naoto walked towards them.

Naoto was answering, "Good morn…"

Kanji interjected nervously, "Oh yeah, I'm on duty today. Hehe… Well, see you later."

"That was only slightly odd," Souji muttered as Kanji ran off in haste. He thought, "Duty for what?"

Yosuke sighed as Naoto looked confused, "He's the messed up one."

"I don't know," Souji thought to himself, "Rion called me and said he had some rather big suspicions about Naoto. I'm getting some rather big suspicions about Rion." Souji shook it off, it didn't matter.

The remaining three walked off towards school. The school day ended without incident and Souji had to go home quickly to pack. Even though it was for only a few days, Souji hadn't really packed much at all. So, Souji went home soon after school.

"You're going to be gone tomorrow?" Nanako asked when Souji came in.

"Yeah, I'll be gone for a few days," Souji responded as he started dinner.

"I'll watch over the house then," she said before turning to her favorite quiz show.

The next morning was the start of the school trip. "I hope this doesn't suck," Souji thought as he got to the meeting site. They rode a bullet train into the school, "Freakin' awesome! This is what I'm used to," Souji thought as they train stopped at the station and they shuttled out.

"That was nicer than I expected," Souji said, in a more composed manner than his thoughts.

"I thought it was great! I didn't know they had such an awesome train!" Yosuke told the group.

"This is amazing," Chie said.

"I never thought I'd be back here," Rion thought. Rion then shook his head and said, "Souji is used to this sort of transportation. Trains like this are commonplace here."

They made a short walk from Iwatodai to the high school they would be staying at for the day. Now, at the Gekkoukan High School entrance, the Principle of the school and the President of the Student Council were waiting for the incoming Yasogami students. The students were a bit surprised by the structure of the school. The principal and a young girl were standing next to their slut of a teacher, Kashiwagi. The students themselves, were standing around haphazardly in the front to allow for them to stand with their friends.

"Whoa, what's up with this place?" Yosuke asked, "This school is way too big," he remarked, "Wait… If we can't beat 'em on size, we're totally sunk."

"Did you expect us to have a bigger school?" Rion asked, "Their school was built by a grant given by a corporation. The corporation that funded this school is one of the richest in the entire world. It's a conglomerate."

The principal started speaking in a nasally and annoying voice as he stood in front of the Yasogami students, "Well, uh, next I will explain about our fine educational institution and the reasons for its establishment!" The guy was annoying to Souji, "Uh, I'd like to start with a proverb, "If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well.""

Chie yawned and asked Yukiko and Souji, "Is this principal in love with his own voice or what?"

"I don't think he knows how to shut up," Souji responded.

"Chie! Souji!" Yukiko warned, "He'll hear you!"

The principal started again, "Uh-hem! Our school is closed today, but, ahh, because of this rare opportunity for cultural exchange. Some of our students will walk you through these halls. First, though, a student body representative will say a few words."

The smart-looking girl started speaking, "Thank you, Principal." She then stepped forward to speak to the students. She was wearing the school outfit, which consisted of a black blouse and skirt, with a red, white, and black patch, with a red ribbon. She had brown glasses on and long flowing brown hair. "Welcome to Gekkoukan High School, "she greeted them. She went onto to say, "My name is Chihiro Fushimi. I'm a third-year student and the Student-Council President here at Gekkoukan. It's an honor to meet you all today."

"Holy crap! That girl is unbelievable!" Yosuke was stunned at the girl's appearance. Chie glared at Yosuke's reaction to her..

Kanji was blushing as well, "Yeah, you're right… She is cute…"

Chie glared again when Yosuke went on to say, "I gotta say she is the most bewitching bespectacled beauty I've ever beheld."

Chie finally interfered, "You guys… Stop overreacting." The others could tell she wanted to say more about her.

Chihiro went on, "This is the first time our school has invited another student body for a true cultural exchange. To learn about others is learn about oneself, and is the first step on the road to self-betterment… I believe. To ensure a worthwhile experience for each and every one of you, we will do our best to help you accomplish that. So let us enjoy our time together! Thank you very much."

Random clapping was heard throughout the crowd of students. The Yasogami students seemed impressed by her speech.

"She beat me in every category…," Chie sighed, "Including looks," as she saw Yosuke staring at Chihiro in a daze.

Kashiwagi directed the students, "Alright, everyone get into groups with your classmates!"

The other students wandered off to get into their assigned group. Chie, Yukiko, Rion, Kanji, and Yosuke were in Souji's group. Chihiro noticed something. A mistake, perhaps to Souji's eyes.

"Oh no!" the glasses-wearing girl said all of a sudden.

Chihiro walked up to Souji after noticing her issue and addressed him, "Excuse me, could I bother you for a moment?"

"Sure, I guess," Souji replied.

The group had crowded around Chihiro after she had addressed Souji.

"This is today's schedule for everyone. Could you hand it out later, please?" Chihiro asked, "I forgot to do it myself."

Souji took one of the schedules from Chihiro to glance at it, "I don't that will be a problem."

"Sorry to be so disorganized," Chihiro apologized, "And you all came so far."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Souji told her.

She chuckled, "Thank you." She motioned to the group, "In fact, I didn't write the speech on my own. One of the former Student Council Presidents helped me. She was my president my first year here, and she was amazing. I always looked up to her. I should call her later and tell her the speech was a success." Chihiro suddenly looked annoyed at herself, "Oh, I'm sorry! Listen to me, going on and on about myself… I have to stop babbling when I get nervous. Um, your group is scheduled for a special lecture soon. The classroom is on the second-floor. I have some arrangements to make with your student council, so please excuse me."

Yosuke turned to the group, "Did I just hear her say, "special lecture"? We came all this way just to be lectured?"

Yukiko walked around to face the group, "Let's see, our class is… It's being taught by someone named Mr. Edogawa. The lecture's about Qabbalah."

"Kabawhat?" Chie asked.

"You don't know?" Kanji looked at them, "It's a casino."

"Qabbalah is a form of…," Rion started, "Oh never mind…"

"Of course Rion knows what is… We should just say Rion is teaching it instead, and just ditch," Souji thought.

"So… when's our free period?" Yosuke asked.

"A free period…," Souji said, "I do not comprehend."

Chie walked up and looked at the schedule, "Uhh… We don't get one."

"Typical," Rion shrugged.

Chie continued, "We have classes all through today. Tonight and tomorrow, we'll be staying at a hotel. We'll have free time tomorrow and the day after, until we leave at noon."

Yosuke said in anguish, "You got to be kidding me."

"I guess this is your regular sucky school trip," Souji said. "Free time tomorrow, huh?" Souji thought, "I know what I want to do…"

Yukiko tried to cheer the group up, "Come on, guys! Let's focus on our studies for now, so we can enjoy our free time later."

In the second-floor classroom, their teacher had on glasses too. He also wore an ill-fitting lab coat. His black hair looked sideways on his head, like someone didn't cut it straight.

The teacher began with an annoying lecturing voice. It was a voice you could fall asleep to, "Welcome… Nice to meet you all. A meeting is only the beginning of the parting, the Alpha and the Omega. My name is Edogawa, and I'll be keeping you company for this period. You are all from Yasogami High, correct? Ah, a school of many gods. I had considered a lecture on Qabbalah philosophy, but I have a better idea," he chuckled and continued, "Since I was able to meet you all today, I shall tell you a story of partings. One could say that this is Japan's oldest tale of curses. You all know about the gods who created this country, I assume? The two gods who gave birth to this country are the god Izanagi and the goddess Izanami. They got along very well…"

"No shit, really," Rion muttered.

"But one day, Izanami died giving birth to Kagutsuchi, the fire god. Extremely saddened by this, Izanagi left for the land of the dead to bring back Izanami. Yomi… the dark, dark, underworld. There, Izanagi asked Izanami, who had become a dweller in the land of shadows, to come back with him to the land above. The goddess replied she would negotiate with the god of the underworld, and asked for Izanagi to wait for her. However… Izanagi became curious to know what was going on, so he broke his promise and set his comb alight to look around. What he saw… was the goddess Izanami, whose body was completely covered in maggots and filth. Terrified, Izanagi ran away, but the enraged Izanami chased after him. After dodging the many demons sent after him, Izanagi reached the entrance to the underworld, Yomotsu Hirasaka. He set in place a large boulder as a barrier between the two worlds, and got away unharmed. When the dreadful goddess reached the boulder, he said his farewell to her. This is the curse known as the "kotodo". Curses beget curses… and Izanami said to the god: "If you're going to treat me this way, I will kill 1000 humans in your world each day!" Izanagi regretfully accepted that the bonds between them had been severed, saying: "Then I shall give life to 1500 each day." Thousands die, and ten thousands are born. That is the curse upon this country."

"Overpopulation?" Souji whispered.

"Many of you may have already known this famous story. Now, the etymology… The names Izanagi and Izanami come from the word, "izanau," which means "to invite." I'd be delighted if you have accepted this story today as "an invitation" to acquiring knowledge. That reminds me… in the olden days, people took this story seriously. Things such as lighting only one fire at night and throwing combs were taboo. By the way, at Hana no Iwaya, the grave where Izanami is said to have descended to the underworld… To this day, people decorate it with flowers when they hold festivals nearby. It may be merely ceremonial, but everyone wants to look beautiful. It's how they show their consideration to the goddess who may feel that way," Edogawa chuckled.

At that moment of the never-ending lecture, the bell rang.

"Ahh… is our time up already?" the teacher asked, "I may have gone on too long… Eheheh."

Souji muttered, "Why do I feel like there is oil on my seat…?"

The endless strings of lectures finally ended when a riot broke out of angry students… well not really. One of the students fell over dead from the constant lecturing, and had to be carried away, so they canceled the rest of the twenty-hours of lecturing. You could hear a massive cheer from the Yasogami students and parades breaking out in the Port Island streets.

In the evening, a group of students walked towards a group of questionable hotels lead by Kashiwagi. She stopped by a risqué hotel with an archway.

"Alrighty, here we are. The Seaside Clamshell Inn," Kashiwagi pronounced, "We'll be staying here tonight."

The students in general looked very nervous at seeing this interesting, to say the least, establishment.

One of the females asked, "Is this really a regular hotel?"

The group of students was getting antsy when Kashiwagi asked, "So, what do you think? It was me who found the place. It just opened not too long ago. It's got that modern look and the price was just right. Personally, I think it was an excellent choice."

Another student said, "We're staying here…?"

The first female said, "I mean the sign says "hotel," but…"

The third student put in, "It opened recently…? Dude, this totally looks like a lov…"

Kashiwagi turned away from the place and at the students, "You there! Don't just stand there! Keep marching in!"

The students reluctantly followed the slutty teacher. Finally, Souji's group had gotten to their "hotel."

"Isn't their something funny about this place?" Yosuke asked.

"Is there?" Chie shrugged, "We don't have these modern hotels in Inaba, so I can't tell."

Rise blushed, "This area is called "Shirakawa Boulevard", and it's…"

"That's all right Rise. I don't think I wanna know," Yosuke cut her off.

Rion shook his head, "The people who stop her, aren't exactly planning on getting sleep."

"Ehh… thanks for the picture," Souji told Rion.

"Should be perfect for you and Yukiko to…," Rion whispered into his ears before Souji hit him on the shoulder.

"Shut up, Rion…," Souji muttered. "I shouldn't have told him," Souji thought. He had let it slip right before the trip, and Rion said little things ever since. Most of the things were congratulatory, but a few of them… Souji considered just plain evil.

While they were looking, a voice whispered in from the distance, "Hmhmhm… faster than I expected. This is quite the hotel. If they were to meet me here, I wonder what the look on Yosuke's face would be?"

Yosuke had just noticed the voice after that sentence had finished, "Who's that?" He pointed up high on the rooftop, "Look! Up there!"

Yukiko gasped at the sight, "It can't be."

The voice rang out, "Ha!" and jumped off into the distance.

The figure landed in a bunch of garbage bins a ways away. "That had to hurt," Souji thought.

The Teddie-bear walked towards them, "Hmhmhm… Shoo bee doo bee."

"I thought we'd be free of him for a few days," Rion muttered.

"Teddie!" Kanji exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

"That is a question I want answered," Souji looked at the bear.

Teddie responded, "The lonely bear inside of me went stir crazy."

Rise looked frustrated, "Grr… If only I could detect people in the real world."

Chie asked, "How did you come here? Do you have some sort of special ability?"

"No, I took the train," Teddie answered, "I swore off Topsicles and saved up the money I got from working at Junes. I knew where you were going thanks to Yosuke's "Trip Guide." You guys have free time tomorrow, right? No use hiding it! I already know."  
Yosuke was dumbfounded as he asked, "How in the world did you make it here looking like that? I mean, why wear the bear suit here?"

Teddie whined, "I almost got thrown in the trash a couple of times. But I kept hanging onto the promise that Chie-chan made to go on a date with me. That's what gave me the strength to carry on."

Chie stuttered, "Uhh… good job, Teddie. Did I promise you that? Oh yeah… I do remember saying that I'd go out with you someday." She obviously didn't mean it.

"Probably after she's dead," Souji chuckled, "She'd never do that. Good luck Teddie."

"Wheee!" Teddie exclaimed, "Is it okay with Yuki-chan and Rise-chan too?

Yukiko tried to make it a group thing, "Let's all go together, then. Is that all right with you?" Yukiko was actually kidding, "Sorry Teddie, but there's no chance in hell that it's happening."

Souji was thinking the same thing as Yukiko. "No way in hell," Souji thought.

"Mmm… It's a deal," Teddie agreed after some delibearation.

Rise looked at the group, "I've been here before, so I'll show you around tomorrow."

"I guess I'd prefer you show them over me, Rise," Rion said. His thoughts were clouded with memories.

"I guess we can go shopping first," Rise nodded, "And I know a great place we can hit later on."

"Ooh… shopping. That sounds great," Teddie chuckled.

Chie said, "The other students don't know Port Island that well, so they're just gonna go wherever the school recommends."

"I doubt those will be places you'd want to be," Souji said.

"Well, I guess a shopping spree beats a factory tour. Alright, we're in too," Yosuke agreed with Chie.

Rise chuckled, "Leave it to me."

"Actually, I don't know if it is a good idea, anymore," Souji was thinking, "Rise can be pretty crazy." He had gone shopping once before with Rise. The bags he had to carry with Rise was almost as bad on his back as he had gone shopping with Ai.

Yosuke sighed, "Now… before the fun starts… We got to deal with this guy." Yosuke pointed to the bear.

Kanji reasoned, "Can't you sleep outside for the night? That suit should keep ya nice and cozy."

Teddie looked affronted, "Cruelty to animals! You don't know how much trouble I went through to get here. I took the slow train all this way. Do you hear! The slow train!"

A scary moment ensued when Kashiwagi came through the front entrance and confronted the group and bear.

"Now now, you kids aren't bickering about your room allocations, are you?"

"Crap!" Chie whispered.

"What's the matter? Oh! What's this giant teddy bear?" Kashiwagi asked Souji.

"It's a souvenir I got," Souji replied to the teacher, thinking on the fly.

"My… It's so big," she replied.

"That doesn't sound wrong at all," Rion thought in his head.

"Go on, hurry on inside with it," she said. She continued, "By the way, these rooms are amazing. Every room has a waterbed. But don't flip the wrong switch when you're turning on the lights or your bed will start spinning."

"Again, that doesn't sound wrong at all," Rion muttered softly.

The group looked nervous, "Anyways… I'm looking forward to tomorrow," Chie said.

"Yeah, but I'm exhausted… For so many reasons," Yosuke commented.

The group started walking in except for Souji and the bear. Teddie had stopped talking, moving, and when Souji hit it; Teddie had no reaction to the contact. It seemed like Teddie was actually acting like a souvenir.

"… I gotta pee…," Teddie finally exclaimed.

Souji hurriedly tried to push the bear into the hotel, but damn he was heavy.

The next day started off with a shopping spree. They ditched the factory tour only to find out that the guys were to carry the bags of all the girls' wares. At night though, they ended up at Club Escapade.

People were dancing and singing randomly throughout the club, and random Japanese rap and rock was playing throughout the club. It was a neat little club, in Souji's mind. It was colored kind of oddly, however, it could definitely use a redecorating.

"Whoa! So this is a club!" Kanji exclaimed as the group walked in.

Rion looked bored out of his mind. Souji was thinking, "So, he isn't a dancing type? Or, he doesn't like being here in general?"

"Whoo! I'm totally ready for this!" Chie exclaimed.

"Should be fun," Souji said.

Yukiko looked astonished, "There's nothing like this back home."

They turned towards the stairs to see the second level only to see Naoto Shirogane, ace detective, coming down towards them.

The detective, who was now at the bottom of stairs, questioned them, "Is it permitted for high school students such as yourselves to be here?"

Yosuke questioned Naoto, "What? Dude, look who's talking. You were here before we were here. That's right… I guess if the first-years came on the trip, you'd be here too."

Naoto looked at them and responded, "The clientele here looks above-board, so I don't expect there will be any problems."

Naoto started to walk away when Chie stopped the detective, "Huh? You're leaving?"

"Why don't you join us?" Yukiko asked.

"Yes… join us," Rion said, no one noticing the malicious glint in his eyes. No one seemed to notice he had a backpack on his shoulders with something in it.

Naoto looked a bit surprised, "Are you… asking me to stay?"

Yukiko nodded, "Uh huh. We didn't get to chat last time."

Naoto looked embarrassed, "Ah… it's just that I had other matters to attend to that day."

"Well, you're free now, right?" Rise asked, "I was really eager to talk to you. I'm curious how someone my age is working as a detective."

"So, are you coming?" Souji asked.

"Hmmm… very well, if you insist," Naoto agreed and gave in.

Yosuke noticed the slight blush on Naoto's cheeks, "Huh? What's up? You look a little red…"

"That's not true…," Naoto tried to deny it.

Rise turned to the group, "Wait here, I'll go reserve the area upstairs for us."

"Okay," Yosuke said, "Wait… What? Reserve?"

"Yep, don't worry. I think I can pull some strings," Rise told him.

"I got some pull here too," Rion said, "I'll see what I can do." No one noticed him pull something out of his backpack.

Rise walked off to reserve the upstairs lounge. Yosuke turned around and noticed that Kanji was drooping over not looking at anyone.

"What's wrong, man? Stomach pains?" Yosuke asked.

Kanji turned his head slightly, Naoto noticed him looking, and Kanji quickly turned back. Souji was confused. Something was still wrong with Kanji. "I thought Rion acted weird around Naoto? Kanji is even worse around Naoto. I wonder if it's the after-effects from the time he spent in the Sauna. Well, he had those days he spoke to him before he was thrown in," Souji thought.

"That ain't it," Kanji muttered.

Rise got the upstairs lounge like she promised and Rion got the drinks. No one noticed how they got them, or what happened in between.

"Are you sure this is alright? Isn't this expensive?" Chie asked Rise.

"No worries," Rise told her, "Two years ago, when I had a secret show here, the power went out in the middle of it, and the gig was canceled. They still owe me from then, so they're willing to put this one on the house."

Rion nodded, "It's not hard when you used to be somebody. You can at least get one free round."

The group looked happy, "Well, in that case, I'm gonna order more," Chie responded.

"Whoo! I'm not gonna hold back either!" Teddie exclaimed.

"Dude, you sound even weirder today," Kanji told Teddie.

"Aww, you're sho cold, Kanji. Hm, Kanji. Kanji, Kanji… I Kanjecture that shomething's up. Heehee, that's a great one!"

"Ha!" Rion inwardly laughed, "It's started to work. It's so damn funny!"

The others hadn't noticed, but were in dismay, "Man, you're already in high gear," Yosuke said.

"….," Yukiko looked funny, "Kanjecture… Snrk… Bwahaha!"

"Yukiko, too! Perfect!" Rion thought.

"She's pretty loose too," Souji said.

Yosuke noticed and asked, "Hey! Wait a sec! Are these liquor?"

Rise looked funny too, "I told Rion to get us soft drinks. They're non-alcoholic. I told him. I really did. They wouldn't serve us alcohol. They know he isn't of age."

"Aw, sheesh, I was wondering why it was so hot," Chie admitted.

"That makes two tipsy girls, one guy who's out of it, and one girl who's noticed it. Not to mention two guys who are confounded, no make it three," Rion thought as Souji spoke up, "This is rather messed up."

"Is this seriously booze? But the smell's…," Kanji asked.

Rise stepped forward and exclaimed, "King's Game!"

"Haha! You got to be kidding me! King's Game!? I can't wait to see what they try to pull on the other guys… This will be perfect to pull off the other parts of the plan," Rion's brain was working a mile a minute, "I'd rather Naoto be tipsy, but I can still try to pull it off."

"Time's like this, adults play the King's Game. It's the law," Rise hiccupped, "What's their problem? They make me act like a ditz, call me Risette and stuff, and then say I'm a kid." She hiccupped again, "It's so obvious. Those wrap parties get a lot funner after I go home. Morons! I'm gonna play the King's Game now and ain't no one gonna stop me."

"Yet another side of Rise exposed… I wonder if she even knows what she's saying?" Yosuke asked.

"I highly doubt it, Yosuke," Souji said. He thought, "What the hell is this King's Game!? Do I even want to know?"

"Kanji!" Rise exclaimed, "Get the chopsticks ready!"

"What! Why me?" Kanji asked.

"The King's word is law. Chop Chop!"

"And why are you the King?" Souji asked, "Or should I say, Queen?"

"It's already started?" Yosuke asked in bewilderment.

They got the chopsticks, but most of them were confused at what was going on. It seems that it wasn't only Souji that didn't know how to play.

Chie looked to Yukiko and asked, "Umm… What's this King's Game again?"

Yukiko tipsily told Chie, "Okay… one chopstick makes you the king if you draw it, and the others have numbers on 'em. The king picks a number and says what that person has to do. But who has which number is a secret until the King gives the orders."

"Senpai, you're such an adult! You tell 'em!" Rise exclaimed.

"Yukiko… where'd you learn this stuff?" Chie asked.

"C'mon! Everyone draw!" Rise commanded

Everyone one picked a stick, and Souji picked a stick from far away.

"Okay… So, who's the King?" Rise asked.

Teddie stood up, "Teddie's is red! Red! Is Teddie the King?"

Yosuke grumbled, "Ugh… We're already doomed from the get-go."

"I, the King, command thee to smooch the King without delay! Smooch!" Teddie said vehemently.

"Smooch?" Chie said questionably, "He gets to kiss someone!?" She hung her head, praying it wouldn't be her.

"Please God… Grant me a girl! Number 1!" Teddie told the group his choice.

Number 1 was Souji's number. He stood up and showed his number.

"I'm number 1," Souji said. The others looked horrified, Teddie included.

"I mean number 2!" Teddie tried to change his number.

"No take backs," Yosuke said.

"Smooch smooch!" Yukiko said tipsily.

"A bear's chastity: True love needs a sacrifice. Just for you. Sensei," Teddie told Souji.

"Oh, no shit!" Souji thought.

He jumped toward Souji, and hit… Kanji! Teddie smooched Kanji instead.

"Ow, hey! Not, me!" Kanji exclaimed while Teddie jumped on him, "Ngh…"

"Awkward…," Rion said. He was the only one standing, and was standing next to Naoto. He dwarfed the midget detective.

"Oooh! Only the first round and two contestants have dropped out already," Rise chuckled.

"Huh?" Chie looked confused, "Is it that kind of game?"

"On to round two!" Rise jumped into the air.

"I need to watch what I pick, or who knows what is going to happen to me," Souji thought to himself.

Souji picked a stick close to him, and it was the red chopstick. Souji was the king. "I have the power, I guess," Souji thought.

"Who's the King?" Rise asked.

"I have the red stick everyone," Souji told the group, "I'm the king."

"Great…," Rion shrugged. "I may have to break the rules to make this fun," Rion thought.

Chie looked relieved, "Phew… someone decent. No crazy orders this time."

Yukiko interjected with a slur, "That's not how it goes! If the last king ordered a smooch, then the next order's gotta be more extreme." Yukiko laughed, "Chie… Don't be such a party pooper."

Rion noticed that the alcohol had no effect on Souji, "Well, it can't hurt I guess," he thought.

Rise suggested, "Hey! The person who gets picked should rest their head on the King's lap."

Yukiko put in her own suggestion, "Nah, make 'em sit on his lap."

"Oh, or they could have to hug 'em," Rise gave a second suggestion.

"Better than that! A piggyback ride!" Yukiko exclaimed.

Yukiko gave another suggestion, "Make out with them."

"C'mon King! Who's gonna do what?" Rise asked Souji.

Rion rolled his eyes. "With my luck, that'd be me," Rion muttered.

"Oh man…, What do I pick?" Souji was thinking, "I would be greedy and pick the make out, but I should…" He said, "Number 3 gets to hug me."

"That's me!" Yukiko exclaimed.

Yukiko went up to Souji, sat down, and hugged Souji.

"Ooh… so warm and cuddly!" Yukiko snuggled up close to Souji. She didn't appear to be in any rush to leave. Souji didn't mind. It wasn't like it'd be any different if she was sober.

"Aww… not fair!" Rise pouted.

"You're so lucky!" Yosuke exclaimed, but Chie glared at him.

After that, no sticks were drawn but Yukiko exclaimed after she finally left Souji's side, "Me next! Me! I'm the King! Actually, I'm the Queen!"

"You didn't even draw a chopstick!" Yosuke told her.

"Alright, then… Let's have someone talk about something really embarrassing that they'd never wanna tell anyone," Yukiko told the group, "Hrmm… let's see. Ah! Naoto-kun, I choose you."

Yosuke told Naoto, "She's breaking all the rules. Just ignore her, Naoto."

"No… No, that won't be necessary," Naoto replied calmly. Souji swore she was Rion's double, "One stipulation, though: if I do this, the rest of you must reveal "something" as well."

"Okay…," Rise said easily.

"No particular embarrassing experiencing come to mind… Would discussing my life be fair game?" Naoto asked.

"Only if you share "certain" things about yourself," Rion thought.

"It's the rare situation like this that gives me that gives me the call to speak of such things," Naoto said.

"Damn, way to kill the mood," Yosuke muttered. He rolled his eyes.

"The Shirogane family has been detectives for generations now. We lend our powers to the police from time to time," Naoto

"For generations?" Chie wondered, "Wow, it's like that guy from a movie I watched before. What's his name, Kuzunoha?"

"Are there 14 of you? Or 17 of you?" Rion muttered.

"In days gone by, when there were no crime scene investigators, consulting detectives were considered more valuable. Thus, my grandfather still has a strong connection with the police and looks after me, despite my youth and inexperience. But investigators nowadays are well-versed in science and medicine, so I must further my studies," Naoto continued.

"That sounds tough," Yosuke said.

"It would seem like you would have work hard, and study quite a bit to be a good detective," Souji replied. "Then why are you at Yasogami of all places?" Souji thought.

"No punch line, though," Yosuke muttered.

"I fear you may be looking to the wrong person for that," Naoto told Yosuke with a smile.

Yukiko laughed, "That's so embarrassing! Isn't Naoto-kun embarrassing?"

"Ehh…," Rion said. He was thinking, "Not yet though."

"I wanna go home," Yosuke muttered.

"Drunken Yukiko is scary," Souji thought.

"Phew… I'm sleepy," Rise admitted. She started snoozing on the couch.

Naoto gestured to the non-sleepers, "Well then, it's your turn now. A straight answer, please. What is your true involvement with the murder case?"

Yosuke told the detective, "You know, you're so good at killing the mood that it's almost funny."

Yukiko happily admitted, "Weeeell, we go rescuing the people who've been kidnapped by jumping into the TV! And theen, we do stuff like "Persona!" with our Personas and beat the crap outta Shadows."

Yosuke muttered, "You idiot…"

"I knew we'd get something like that," Souji muttered.

"You know Naoto isn't going to believe that," Rion thought.

Naoto sighed, "Are you making fun of me?"

Rise stood up, "Ish true! Personaaaa!" She fell back down to sleep.

Everyone else looked nervous.

"Sheesh, somebody put these two drunks to bed already," Chie said.

Naoto looked annoyed, "I see now that you had no intention of telling me the truth."

"I guess now is as good as time as ever," Rion thought. He put forth his words, "Well, if you really wanted to know something embarrassing about Naoto… I could tell you that Naoto is really a…"

Before Rion finished the sentence a fist reached his mouth and drew blood. Naoto had punched him straight in the mouth. Rion touched his upper lip and wiped the one drop of blood from it.

Souji showed shock at Naoto's actions towards Rion. Souji wanted to know what Rion was going to say, but he wanted to know why Naoto hit him.

"Heh… you almost drew blood, Naoto. I see you hit just like a…," Rion was talking in a condescending tone.

The fist came again at Rion, but this time Rion caught it with ease. Rion rolled his eyes at the detective.

"Everyone gets one free shot. If you really didn't want me to tell them, you should have said so," Rion chuckled. He thought to himself, "How boring…"

"What was that about?" Souji thought, "What in the hell is going on!?"

"Man, that was violent," Chie said.

"How juvenile," Naoto said as she removed her fist from Rion's hand, "…But I am curious now… how did you become so inebriated? This isn't alcohol," Naoto asked.

"Man, good one, Naoto!" Yukiko exclaimed.

Naoto rebuked her, "No, I confirmed it when I first entered. No alcohol has been served here since a rash of drunk driving last year."

Chie looked confused, "Huh? Does that mean we're all just drunk off the atmosphere?"

"Who cares…," Yukiko said, "Whee… I feel so good. Good night!"

"I'll tell you that you aren't drunk off the atmosphere," Rion chuckled, wiping his lip of the small amount of blood.

"What?" Yosuke asked.

"What do you mean? Do you mean to say our drinks were spiked by the bartender?"

Naoto inquired, "If so, I should report this."

"We've been drinking booze?" Kanji stuttered.

"The bartender didn't spike your drinks," Rion pulled out a clear bottle and put it on the table. "I did…" He chuckled.

This shocked Souji. "What in the hell is going on!?" Souji thought, "Rion spiked our drinks. I think there'd be only one reason why, and it wouldn't be because of us. He's crazy."

"I put booze in all of your non-alcoholic drinks. Some of you feel a buzz, some are very affected," Rion pointed at Rise, Teddie, and Yukiko, "and some could care less", pointing at himself, Souji, Yosuke, Kanji, and Naoto.

"No way…," Souji said, "You have got to be kidding me."

"Come with me, Mr. Ishinata!" Naoto stood up, tried to take Rion by the arm, and only got him to come downstairs when he came down willingly. Souji saw a gleam in his eyes that wasn't exactly happy.

"What do you think you are doing!?" Naoto asked. The voice drowned out by the music, "I could have you arrested by the administration."

"Good luck," Rion responded, "And I'm sure you'll be glad to say what… that you were drinking it too."

"Unwillingly!" Naoto exclaimed, "I know you have clout in this school. I know about that, but that doesn't matter!"

"Listen, Detective Princess!" Rion sneered, "You're the only reason I didn't skip the damn trip all together."

"What!?" Naoto was confused, "Why!? And why the hell do you think it matters that you know my gender?" She still looked nervous and insecure about it though.

"Because you're the one who's playing the damn game here!" Rion yelled, "You pretend to be so smart and ingenious, but you're a fool. You trick people and hide behind that damn hat and shirt! God knows what else you're hiding…," Rion rolled his eyes.

Naoto slapped him. Rion adjusted his glasses.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Naoto commanded, "I'm in control of my life. You're being superfluous with your actions. If it was so important to talk to me about it, why did you have to involve the others in it?"

Rion shook his head, "It was the only opportunity to try and reveal you to everyone. You owe it to Kanji, regardless. He's suffering, you midget."

"Don't call me a midget…," Naoto yelled. She sighed, "This is my life. My actions are my own. Leave me alone, Rion."

"Tch… You won't be able to forever if you think I'm involved in the case, especially if you aren't satisfied," Rion smirked.

"What!?" Naoto looked surprised, "What is your involvement? You know they aren't being truthful."

Rion handed Naoto a little silver card.

"What's this?" Naoto asked, slightly calming down, "What is this supposed to mean?"

"You wanted to know what we do, right? This is enough of a clue for you. You're the detective, Princess, figure it out," Rion told her as he climbed back up the stairs. Naoto followed shortly.

"Don't call me Princess…," she muttered as they started walking back up the stairs.

"What happened?" Souji asked. He was now really curious about what happened now. "It was either really painful or really hot… Though, Rion has a red mark on his cheek now. There goes the chance for the hot part…"

"Nothing," They both answered in monotone voices. They tried to ignore what happened.

"Okay… whatever," Souji responded. Souji immediately knew he was not going to get anything out of them.

"Hey, Senpai? How the hell're we gonna get back with two passed out drunks?" Kanji asked Souji.

"All of this is giving me a bad headache… Is this what a hangover feels like?" Yosuke sighed.

"Teddie's still totally okay!" he exclaimed, "Lesh keep drinkin' 'til mornin'!"

"Bring it on!" Rise countered, but fell asleep again.

"Well, I didn't bring that much," Rion shook his head.

"You guys really are imbeciles, aren't you," Naoto looked at them. Naoto saved a glare for Rion.

"Well, who wants to get who back to the hotel?" Rion asked.

"Umm… I'll get Yukiko to the front gate," Souji replied.

"Chie should get Rise back to the love shack then," Rion replied, "I'll help Teddie."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16  
I am butchering dialogue, battles, and s-links to get the novel version respectable. I can make characters more cynical, mean, out of character, and amusing. My character is "special" personality-wise.

I own how much of SMT and Persona? Nothing…

This could be the last one in a while. Finishing the last bit of the trip, Finishing two party s-links. We're are moving towards the Secret Lab. I'm messing around with the fact that Rise is rejected. Bear with that fact. Well, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Taking Rise and Yukiko back to the hotel were not as bad as they thought it would be. The hard part was getting Teddie back to Seashell in one piece. The bear thingy was not really in a mood to leave.

"This is such a drag…," Yosuke said, pulling and dragging Teddie down Shirakawa Boulevard. He was trying to put what just happened out of his mind.

"Don't look at me," Souji responded. He was making sure Yukiko got to the hotel, or the love shack, as it looked like, in one piece.

Rise and Yukiko were nodding off the whole time as Chie and Souji helped them back, while Naoto and Rion were staring daggers at each other across the Moonlight Bridge.

"Let's goesh back to the club!" Teddie exclaimed to Kanji, "We can play the King's Game, and drink some more! Don't you agree, Kanji!?"

"I'll pass," Kanji muttered. He would have nightmares about this for the rest of his life. "Why Teddie!?" he screamed in his head, "Why!?"

"I think you've had enough," Rion said dryly. It wasn't his intention to get Teddie like this. The group had reached the glitzy pink hotel. They started moving the group into the rooms, and said their drunken goodbyes for the day. Souji swore he saw Rion and Naoto get in another fight about something trivial. "What's with those two?" Souji thought. He shook his head, "I'm not even going to think about it." He had to help Teddie get settled and not run back to the club. It didn't matter. It wasn't like there was anymore booze for Teddie to have.

The next day, before the group left for the train to say goodbye to Port Tatsumi Island, they ended up at a small eatery called Hagakure Ramen. It was a small eatery filled with steam from the ramen. There were signatures up top from all the people who eaten their special dishes. The simple design was dwarfed by the good food they served. They were all eating ramen and were sitting close by. Souji was in ramen heaven.

Rion and Naoto still weren't talking to each other. The incident from last night must have really pissed each other off. Souji could only try and ponder what happened, "Let's see… first Rion says something, and Rion gets punched. Rion tries to say something else and Naoto tries to hit him again. Then Naoto questions the intoxication; Rion proves that he had spiked the drinks. Rion gets dragged downstairs, apparently getting in an argument. Rion got slapped in the exchange." Souji shook his head, "If I could, I'd ask Rion what the hell happened. He would be the person who would be able to figure this out, but he's the one who caused the whole damn thing."

"Mmmm! Oh man! This is really something!" Chie exclaimed, disrupting Souji's thinking, while eating her ramen.

"This place serves the best ramen in town!" Rise told the group. She seemed to have recovered quite a bit.

"It isn't increasing my knowledge though…," Souji muttered, "Therefore… Meh... It is delicious."

"Your knowledge?" Rion asked quizzically. He had heard Souji.

"Yeah, my knowledge," Souji responded.

Rion shook his head at Souji's remark.

"When we were filming, a lot of times I came here instead of eating boxed lunches," Rise said, ignoring the others' words. She looked at Yukiko, "Huh? You're not hungry?" Rise noticed that Yukiko wasn't eating and her bowl was still full.

Yukiko just stared at her ramen and held her head. She looked like she had a headache, "Uhh.. What happened last night? I don't remember much about it."

Rion chuckled silently, and Naoto glared at him. Rion stopped chuckling. Souji gave him a weird look as he thought; "Now we know he's acting weird. He's doing things that are making him laugh."

Rise answered, "Oh, I think the two of us fell asleep pretty quick. I heard it got pretty wild, though."

"I wish I was awake for that, then" Yukiko said, thinking of Souji, "But, I don't remember it at all."

Rise smiled, "Ahh… This flavor never changes. I couldn't come here too often because it's high in carbohydrates, so being able to eat as much as I want is like a dream!"

Yukiko started eating the ramen as she said happily, "Oh… This is delicious! It has an interesting taste that makes you hungry for more!"

"See? See?" Rise put forth in agreement. Souji could agree with statement. Even it did not increase his knowledge; he could not stop eating the stuff.

Teddie told the chef, who was standing at the end "Another bowl, please! Keep the noodles hard!"

While the others shook their head at Teddie, a man walked by and asked for the special dish. "One Hagakure Bowl, please!" he asked.

"The Hagakure Bowl's a normal menu item now? Argh, I should have asked," Rise said in dismay. She said in resignation, "Oh well, this is just as good."

Souji looked at Rise and asked, "Is it okay for you to be out in the open like this?" probably wondering about her status as an idol.

"Sure, no prob," Rise answered, "See those signing boards?" Rise pointed up top, "My autograph is up there too, but the cook doesn't give me a second glance. That's just how it is over here. Plus, I'm barely wearing any makeup."

"Typical Rise Kujiawa," Rion thought to himself.

Yukiko looked up, "You're right. There are a lot of autographs on display here."

Chie looked at Rise, "Y'know what I think? The reason they don't notice you is cause this bear sticks out like a sore thumb. I guess if he wore it over here, he'll have to wear it coming home."

"You're probably right Chie," Souji said, "A person in a bear suit sticks out anywhere." Souji thought, "I wonder why Naoto is not asking about Teddie?"

"Isn't it all steamy inside from the ramen?" Kanji asked. "You'd think the suit would be as foggy as inside the TV world," Kanji thought.

Yukiko just noticed something, "Huh? Where's my bowl?" Her bowl had disappeared from in front of her.

"You lost your ramen?" Souji asked.

Yukiko looked at Teddie questioningly, "You didn't eat it… Did you?"

Teddie tried to escape the glare, "You didn't eat it… so haha…"

"I was going to finish it!" Yukiko exclaimed at the bear angrily.

"That's not very nice, Teddie," Souji said. He'd have to get back at Teddie later.

Rion looked at the bear and asked, "Didn't you just order more ramen a moment ago?"

Yosuke questioned, "How many have you eaten?"

"I dunno how to count," Teddie admitted.

Yosuke didn't believe him, "You little liar! Let me see that check!" He grabbed the check from Teddie, "One… two… Ten bowls!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"Yuki-chan makes it eleven," Teddie told them as he belched loudly.

"I was going to finish mine," Yukiko said disparagingly.

"There, there," Chie tried to comfort Yukiko.

Naoto looked at them and finally said something for the first time, "I'm sorry to interrupt your fun, but it's close to meeting time."

"Aww… already?" Chie looked disappointed, "I thought that the trip was going to be a bore. But now that it's over, I actually had a good time."

"I had a very good time," Rion said with a very atypical wink from him, and got a glare from Naoto.

"You would say that," Souji muttered.

Chie turned towards Souji, "Hey, let's buy a souvenir at the station. I bet Nanako-chan will be expecting one."

"Let's get her a T-shirt, then!" Souji said.

"I bet she'll love it," Yukiko said, temporarily forgetting about her anger towards Teddie.

"Alright, let's get going. Teddie, we're leaving!" Yosuke told the bear, and the group. He waved at the bear, "Yo, Ted!"

Kanji threatened, "Don't make me rub your fur the wrong way, you little…," Kanji started walking towards the bear, "Dude, he ain't moving. Is he hibernating?"

"I don't think that's possible," Rion said, "He can not hibernate."

The group started worrying about the bear, "Hey…," Chie started to say. "Don't tell me… It's because he's been in our world too long, is it?"

Naoto looked confused at Chie's way too revealing statement, but Rise said, "Are you serious!? Teddie!"

"This worries me, Teddie," Souji remarked.

Teddie let out a large, "Urrp!" He then said, "My tummy's heavy."

As everyone except Yukiko looked at the bear with relief, she said with conviction, "Leave it behind!"

Teddie said worriedly, "I ate too much… Can't move… Someone carry me."

Naoto stood up, ignoring Teddie, "I mustn't be late for our rendezvous. Please excuse me."

Naoto left Teddie behind, saving a glare for Rion. Yukiko quickly followed Naoto from Hagakure Ramen and headed for their departure point.

Chie didn't want to be left behind, "Ah, Yukiko. Wait for me." She got up and ran after the two. Souji finished his last bite so he could leave as well.

Teddie was flustered, "Hey, I really can't move! And I don't have the money for a return ticket!"

"You should have thought about that before you ate all of that food," Rion gestured before he got up and walked away.

Yosuke, Kanji, Rise, and Souji all surrounded Teddie in a circle.

Yosuke read him a eulogy, "Farewell, Teddie. We shall leave you here, along with the memories of our youth."

"Goodbye, Teddie," Souji said.

Kanji, Rise, Souji, and Yosuke all grasped their hands in a praying position and bowed towards the bear.

They all started walking out leaving Teddie behind. A young Yasogami student, a first-year, saw the bear, looked confused, ignored it, and walked past to meet the teachers.

Everyone except Teddie headed their way towards the meeting point, and headed back towards Inaba via train. Souji had bought a t-shirt at a stand across from the train station. Except for the drinking incident caused by a certain smart-ass, there were no problems. It was not a terrible trip, but it was not a great one either. He did not like learning on school trips.

Souji returned home to see Nanako watching one of her quiz shows.

"Ah!" Nanako said as Souji opened the door. She walked up to him, "Welcome home!"

"Hello, Nanako," Souji responded.

"Did you have fun?" Nanako asked.

"I had fun. It was very interesting," Souji said. He chuckled on the inside, thinking of the King's Game, "You should come with us next time." But, he thought, "Just not to Club Escapade, especially if Rion is with us."

"Yep, for sure! Um, I wanna go to Destiny Sea too! There's this roller coaster that goes Woosh into the water, and…" Nanako went on and on about what it'd be like.

"I brought you something Nanako," holding the gift bag out for Nanako.

Nanako looked happy, "Wow! Thanks!"

Dojima had entered the house soon afterwards…

"Oh, hi Dad!" Nanako told Dojima.

"Ah, you're back. We just missed each other, huh?" Dojima told Souji.

"I guess so," Souji responded.

Nanako told her dad with glee, "Look, my Big Bro got me a souvenir!" Nanako showed her dad the t-shirt Souji got her.

Dojima looked surprised at Souji's thoughtfulness, "Hey, nice. Did you remember to thank him?"

"Of course!" Nanako nodded and she went up to put her new shirt in her closet.

Dojima looked at Souji, "Heh, I guess that came out of your own pocket. Thanks."

"I just wanted to make her happy," Souji told him.

"You went to Tatsumi Port Island, yeah?" he asked. Dojima chuckled, "Haha, I guess the city was no big deal for a guy like you."

Souji shrugged and Dojima sat down at the table. Dojima went on and said, "By the way, if the first-years went along with you, Naoto Shirogane must've been there too."

"Naoto was there," Souji said.

"You talk to him much?" Dojima asked.

"I guess so, yeah," Souji answered. "I'm not the only one who talks to him," Souji thought."

"He's mature for his age, but he's still a year younger than you," Dojima looked at him, "Try to make friends with him, will you? He's a cocky brat, but he's honest.

"I'll try to do that, then," Souji told Dojima. "Cocky brat indeed," Souji thought.

"The higher-ups are losing their patience with him. It doesn't matter if his argument holds water or not. At this rate, he won't accomplish anything but getting himself booted off the team. Adults can be a selfish bunch." He looked at Souji differently, "Oh sorry, you must be tired. Why don't you take a bath? Oh, but don't forget to take your stuff upstairs."

"Alright, and thanks." Souji said.

Dojima yelled out to Nanako as the older man stood up, "Nanako! Can you get the bath ready?"

As Souji finished drying his hair, he decided to make a call before bedtime. He decided he wanted some information. He called Rion.

"Rion…"

"Souji," Rion greeted him, "Is this about what happened?"

"Straight to it, aren't you?" Souji shook his head over the phone.

"Of course," Rion responded. He sighed, "Does it really matter?"

"Yes it does," Souji said, "It was foolish. Was it necessary to include us all in this? What were you trying to accomplish?"

"It doesn't matter right now," Rion said, "I was trying to make that person reveal something, but in the end, it was not the right time. I have decided that it is best for you to figure it out for yourself."

Souji had no idea where Rion was coming from, so he asked, "So… was it worth it? Getting hit?"

"If it gets the point across, then yes," Rion responded.

"I still think you are being reckless. I'll talk to you later," Souji said.

"Okay," Rion said.

Souji hung up. "I still don't understand this at all," Souji thought, "What are those two hiding?"

September 11th… The first day back from the school trip. It was a normal Sunday and there was nothing on Souji's plate, so he decided to make his own plans. "What should I do?" he thought as he finished getting ready, and put on his trademark white polo. Of course, he needed to pop his collar. Souji decided to call up Yosuke.

"Good morning Yosuke."

"What's up Souji?"

"I was wondering if…," Souji was saying.

"We should hang out?" Yosuke finished.

Souji responded, ",Ummm… yeah."

"Alright, let's meet up by the flood plains!" Yosuke was exuberant today.

"Okay then…," Souji responded.

The pair of them decided to meet by Samegawa, but the "hanging out" portion didn't turn out like it expected.

"Man, I was always jealous of you," Yosuke had told him.

"Why?" Souji asked.

Yosuke went on and on about him being jealous of Souji's power, and then Yosuke said he wanted Souji to hit him…

"So I want you to hit me!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"Why the hell would I hit you?" Souji asked.

"To make up for it all," Yosuke responded.

"How would this fix it? Why don't we settle this like real men…?" Souji smirked.

"Alright then!" Yosuke smiled.

The pair rushed towards each other in a flurry of fists. One of Souji's fists connected with Yosuke's face, and one of Yosuke's went straight into Souji's midsection.

"Take this, you son of a…" was heard randomly.

Yosuke saw light as he lay there, and his Persona evolving. "Jiraiya", had turned into the trickster god, "Susano-o".

"This is my power," Yosuke said, "The power you gave me."

At the end, they were both on the ground, bleeding profusely, and Souji only got one band-aid to clean up the whole damn mess.

"Man, Dojima is going to be so mad when he sees me bleeding all over his carpet," he said as he walked home.

"Welcome home, Big bro… oh my god, what happened to you?" Nanako was greeting Souji when she saw the bruised and beaten Souji, and she rushed off to the bath to start cleaning off the blood. After all the blood was cleaned off, Nanako murmured that she bought groceries and Souji made sushi for tomorrow.

Souji asked Yukiko to join him for lunch tomorrow at school. They met up to eat on the rooftop at school.

"Ooh… This is so good, Souji-kun," she told him as she ate the sushi.

"I'm glad you liked it…," he said, "Do you want to hang out today?"

Yukiko blushed, "Umm… I would like to."

"So, where do you want to hang out?" Souji asked.

She blushed even harder, "If it is okay with you… I want to go to your room."

"Holy Shit!" Souji thought as his cogs in his brain were spinning like mad. He knew he had to answer though, "Okay. We'll head there after school."

Yukiko blushed and pecked him on the cheek before they headed back to class. Souji was in a daze.

Souji's mind definitely was not on school as the day wore on. Kashiwagi started spewing crap about his "Teddie" souvenir and salmon swimming.

Souji nearly threw his hands up in glee after the bell rang for the end of school. Rion raised an eyebrow, but he ignored Souji's reaction to the end of school. Souji rushed down to the 1st floor and picked up Yukiko, well not literally. The couple headed away from Yasogami High, through Samegawa, and to the residential district and Dojima's household. Souji was obviously in a hurry, and Yukiko didn't seem to mind. She was just embarrassed that she had the opportunity to make this happen. On the other hand, Souji didn't realize someone else was watching and had run off. She was crying.

Inside Souji's household and his room… and cue the cheesy music

"So this is your room," Yukiko said as she stood near Souji's dresser.

Souji told her, "It's my room alright. Just a boring old room."

Yukiko suddenly looked embarrassed as she had been trying to see what was in there, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to look around!"

"It's fine, Yukiko."

Yukiko continued to explain herself and try to assuage the situation, "It's just that this is the first time I've been to a boy's room."

"That's understandable to be nervous," Souji told her.

Yukiko looked around, "Oh, you sleep on a futon, I see. I use a futon too."

Souji chuckled as he thought, "We could use the same futon."

"Umm… sorry, I didn't know what to talk about," Yukiko apologized.

"It's okay… stop apologizing," Souji told her, "So, is the sofa good for you?" Souji was having dirty thoughts again. He tried to push them out of his head as hard as he could.

"Huh?" She looked ready to turn into a beet, "Oh, you mean to sit… Anywhere is fine." She looked at him, "I'm fine with anything. You don't need to worry about me."

"Hehe," Souji thought. "Well, let's sit on the couch then," he said.

The pair sat down on the couch close together, with Souji having one arm around Yukiko's shoulders. They looked happy just gazing into each other's eyes.

"So, how's everything with the Inn?" Souji finally broke the silence, "Are you still working on everything else, though?"

"Oh, yes. I'm still studying. Cooking and job licenses…," Yukiko responded.

"That's really good," he was a bit distracted at the moment to answer logically. Yukiko was less distracted. She usually was the distracted one.

"I don't plan on leaving anymore, but I thought I might as well keep on learning," Yukiko explained.

"You want to be well-rounded?" he asked.

She put her head down for an instant before she said, "I'm glad I realized sooner… If I'd struck out on my own, I know I would have regretted it. I wanted to become self-sufficient. But I think I was being presumptuous."

"That's understandable. You just wanted to do what's best for you," Souji agreed.

Yukiko told him, "I have the Inn, I have my family, I have the waitresses and the chefs. I am who I am because I was raised by such a kind group."

"That's so nice," Souji said, holding her tighter.

Yukiko moved on to say, "When I think of it that way, my problems aren't just my own. That's why… I'm going to stay here. By my own will."

"That's great, Yukiko," Souji told her. He did mean it after all.

The two of them hugged tightly after she said her thoughts.

She felt something inside as they held each other. Her Persona was changing from the beginning of the mortality of Japan, to the Sun Goddess. "Amaterasu"

"I feel like I'm changing even now," Yukiko said, as they embraced, "You've changed me, Souji-kun. I will always treasure what you have shown me."

They released the embrace long enough to stand up, and Yukiko said, "I want you to have this."

It was the shrine charm. When Souji asked what it was, Yukiko answered, "It's a charm from the shrine. It's to protect you."

"You'll protect me, Yukiko. Without you, I wouldn't be safe," Souji answered. Souji trusted every single one of them to protect him, and he tried his best to protect them. He trusted Yukiko.

She shook her head, "I want to… but, I'm staying here. This charm will protect you in my place." Yukiko looked sad, "Then will always be together."

"We'll always be together," Souji said lovingly. He cupped her hands into his own.

She was blushing, "Souji-kun… I love you."

"I love you too, Yukiko," Souji admitted.

The two of them moved together and their lips touched softly.

After the kiss, Yukiko broke the embrace and Yukiko blushed at Souji's eyes peering at him, "Umm… Don't stare at me so much."

"I'm sorry," he said.

He moved forward and held her. He moved closer again, and their lips touched again. The time they spent together was special, and when they left, Yukiko's hair and necktie were disheveled and her headband was misplaced. Right before they left she told him one more time, "Souji-kun, I love you."

When she left his place before he would join him to take her back to the Inn, she put her headband back on, "Where's my brush…?" she thought, "Oh it doesn't matter." She put her hand over her heart, "I love him."

Around the same time, and at the Tatsumi Shrine, Rion was meditating quietly and in perfect harmony. His legs were crossed, and his hands were cupped as he faced the brown shrine. He felt nothing but the cool breeze flowing around his skin. Rion was concentrating on a blossom tree swaying in the wind. A single blossom would fall away from a branch and float away from the tree and blow into a running and flowing river. The water was calmly flowing through, and the blossom that had fallen into the river was making its way down. The blossom would touch the rocks jutting out of the river, but the blossom would just move around the rocks, instead of crashing into them and crumbling. Rion was at peace with the world. Nothing would be able to disturb him at this point, until a whining, sad, and sobbing voice broke him out of his reverie.

"What or who the hell is that?" he thought. Rion broke out of his cross-legged position and stood up. He turned around and opened his mouth, ready to berate whoever had disturb him, only to see it was Rise. "Oh… It's Rise…"

"Senpai!" Rise yelled out and ran toward the older student. Rise stopped about one foot away from Rion in obvious distress. Her blouse was wet with tears, and likewise, her eyes were still saturated and flowing. Rion knew a sad Rise was a bad thing.

"What's wrong, Rise?" Rion asked. He didn't really know if he was the best person to handle this, but he think he had an idea of what was going on. He wasn't the most emotional person, but he felt like he could at least try and help her.

She sobbed once, and tried to get out her words, "I… I… have been trying hard to win over Souji, right Senpai?"

"I understand," Rion knew he was right on where it was going, "You saw Yukiko with Souji, right? He was with her, together somewhere."

"I did…," Rise nodded. She wiped some tears from her eyes, "She went into his house." Rion was a little surprised by that. Souji moved a little faster than Rion expected.

Rise continued, adjusting the necktie of her uniform, "He was really nice to me. He always listened to me when I talked about me being an idol, and leaving the business. He even helped me when someone tried to interfere."

Rion shook his head, "That's probably part of the problem…," he told her.

"What do you mean?" Rise asked. She looked confused.

"You probably talked and maybe complained too much. Souji doesn't talk too much, but when he does, he likes to speak his mind," Rion told the idol, "If you don't let him express his feelings, he'll set his sights elsewhere."

Rise looked distressed, "W…Why Yukiko though?"

"Well, it could just be that he knew Yukiko first," Rion said, "It could be as simple as that."

Rise looked dismayed and still very put out. Rion knew that this explanation wasn't solving anything.

"Listen, I know this isn't the only thing bothering you, Rise. Why don't you tell me what else is on your mind, okay?" Rion asked.

"But… You just said that Souji didn't like…," Rise was trying to talk through her tears.

"I'm not Souji… I'm… well you can say there are times I can listen," Rion shrugged his shoulders.

Rise asked Rion, "Is there a place we can sit down?" She obviously had more to talk about, and was tired of standing. She seemed to be emotionally and physically drained anyways.

"Let's go to the floodplains then," Rion said. Rion knew he wouldn't able to meditate anymore today. He had lost all concentration after that interruption. At least Rion thought he might be able to help Rise. Walking down the Samegawa Floodplains towards the benches where he had spied on Kanji months before, he thought to himself, "I don't really know what I'm going to do. Listening, yes… Doing, no."

Rise's spirits were slightly raised at the thoughts of someone helping her, but knowing she had lost Souji to an innkeeper's daughter was quite the let-down. She kind of understood what Rion was saying, but it didn't make her feel any better. She needed to explain the rest of what was going on when she walked through the floodplains.  
They sat down on the benches and Rion asked Rise what her other issues were, "Okay, there are other problems you have to be having. Talk to me about them then, if you are willing to share."

Rise shifted in her seat. She was kind of nervous talking to a senpai she didn't know as well as the others, but she didn't think Rion was that bad. He seemed like a quiet senpai, but one would find everything about you in an instant.

"Umm… Well, you know that I'm trying to leave the modeling business. It's been nice being able to do what I want and not be told what to do," She told him.

"So, you're saying you were controlled by others completely against your will, then?" Rion put forth, "I grasped that well before you joined, but there is more than that. Isn't there?"

"Well, at first… I was glad just being away from modeling and acting. Some people even stopped noticing that I was Risette. It made me really happy in a sense. But things kept coming to the surface, like my manager, Kanami became the new poster girl, and the movie. I tried to forget everything, but it just didn't work," Rise was just about into tears again.

Rion looked at Rise and took a deep breath, "Well… I think you're really used to being pushed around, aren't you?" Rise nodded, and Rion continued, "You tried to abandon that for a normal life, and it came back to haunt you, so instead of staying on that track of being yourself… You're thinking of coming back to Risette."

"Uhh… I just don't know… I don't know what to do," Rise shook her head. She started to tear up again. Rion started thinking about what to say. Rion did not like people crying.

"Look," Rion explained, "I think you just got tired of being told how to feel. You're young, so you're easily swayed. You don't get much control on which jobs you get, and you become who you are told to be. If the director tells you to act sad, you have to act sad, even if something good happened to you today."

Rion had struck a realization within Rise, and she had looked him in straight in the eyes so, Rion continued, "If they want you to be happy, you have to be happy, no matter how you're day is going. They want a Risette-flavored sappy show; then they're getting a Risette sappy show. Everyone gets a piece of Risette except Risette."

"How would you know all of that Rion-senpai?" Rise asked, "You've never been like me…" Rise looked down. Deep down, she knew it was all true. She wanted to deny it, but no Shadow was going to come out here.

"I can't tell you that I was glitzy model. I was just a run-of-the-mill athlete who ended being washed up," Rion shrugged, "When it happens, it happens. Everyone wants a piece of you until they don't want you anymore."

"But… how do I fix this?" Rise inquired.

"When you're older, you won't be just some girl-idol. You won't just be the teen sensation Risette. You'll be the idol, Rise Kujikawa. You'll have the power to choose what you want to do," Rion said frankly, "Right now; you need to be far more assertive if you want to eventually end up back into the modeling, idol business. Tell them that you are in control, and that this is what is best for Rise."

"I have a lot of sides to me, Rion-senpai. But one that can completely hold sway over agents, producers, directors, and others is not one of them…," Rise sounded completely dismayed, "Right now; I'm in no condition to do this." She looked so sad that Rion started feeling depressed.

Rion looked at her, "I may be pretty apathetic, but I show a lot more emotion when I feel like it. I'm better at telling people what to do than doing things myself, and you know that."

"That's true, Senpai," Rise wiped a tear from her eyes, "I think I'd be willing to try. I just don't wanna be alone. That's my problem."

Rion shook his head as he thought, "That's the issue, right here." He adjusted his glassed with his pointer finger. He felt bad for the teen idol, "I'll try and help you, I guess."

She looked up expectedly at the older brown-blond haired boy.

"I'm available more often than Souji if you need to talk about something. He seems to be running off to talk to someone almost every day it seems. Just try not to meet me on a day I work," Rion said.

"Alright, and thanks, Senpai," Rise told him, "It makes me feel a little better." She wiped the tears from her eyes.

Rise and Rion parted ways. Rise still didn't feel very well about what happened about Souji. She had a feeling that Rion knew beforehand. "He probably just didn't want to hurt me, but I'd rather him not lead me on. Actually, Souji and Yukiko made it worse," Rise thought, "I'll talk it out to my grandma too. She's good at listening." Reaching Marukyu, she knew she would have a lot to talk about.

Back at Souji's place, after spending time with Yukiko and taking her home, a TV special was on the news. Nanako was on the other side, who was giving inquisitive looks on why Souji was gone for so long today…

Souji was tired. He had never kissed someone for so long before. Sometime during the make-out session, he had knocked off her headband. That was amusing. "I guess it'll be common knowledge now," Souji thought as they had decided to tell everyone.

"Good evening, and welcome to Niteline's special Nitewatch Report," the announcer rang out from the television, "A suspect in the murders in Inaba was safely arrested recently. But what few people know is that mastermind that brought him to justice was a high school detective."

"Actually, it was a bunch of people fighting in a TV," Souji thought, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Tonight's report will focus on this Detective Prince, Naoto Shirogane, whose handsome looks are sweeping the nation," the announcer well announced, "Thanks for being on the show."

Naoto had appeared on the screen and started to talk, "No, no, the pleasure is all mine."

"Somewhere, Rion is about to kill someone," Souji thought to himself, "Or spike something."

Nanako looked at Souji, "Oh, his uniform is the same as yours."

"Naoto goes to my school, Nanako," Souji responded.

The announcer told Naoto, "First, congratulations to you and the police for your recent arrest of the culprit. It was well-known that there were a lot of mysteries surrounding this case, and you did a great job clearing them up."

Naoto rebuked the reporter, "I'd hesitate to say that the matter is "cleared up", as such. It's true that our suspect is behind Mr. Morooka's unfortunate death. But when I cast my eye over the case as a whole, I detect a few things that seem out of place."

"We're all so sad that Morooka is gone," Souji thought, "And what's this about the police doing something?"

"Oh… like what?" the reporter asked.

"Unfortunately, I can't divulge such details at this time," Naoto told the reporter, "But this matter claimed the lives of three people. Hence, I believe that even the smallest inconsistency must be investigated."

The reporter was kind of shocked, "I… I see. I have to say, this is a kind of a surprise in light of the police's official statement. Now for our next segment, "The Detective Prince's True Identity," where Naoto-kun tells us a little bit about himself. Amazingly, the Detective Prince has solved a whopping 24 cases. 16 of them were…"

Nanako looked at Souji happily, "There's a detective at your school?"

"There is…," Souji answered.

"When I'm older, I'm gonna go to your school too!" Nanako said cheerfully.

The evening passed by happily, not just cause of Nanako, but Souji had a feeling that not everyone was as happy because of Naoto's appearance on TV.

The next day walking while Souji was walking down the floodplains towards school, he was thinking to himself. "I wonder if Naoto being on a TV special means…" Souji hoped it wasn't going to rain soon.

He was broken from that thought by Yukiko, Chie, Rion, Rise, and Yosuke catching up to him. Rise and Rion were chatting amongst themselves. Rise looked a little happier. Talking to her grandmother seemed to have helped.

Souji thought to himself as he saw Rion and Rise talking to each other, "Since when do they talk to each other? Since when does Rion talk?"

"Hi, Souji," Yukiko greeted him and blushed.

"Hey…"

"Yo…" Yosuke waved.

"Hey, did you see the show last night?" Chie asked, "Naoto-kun was on."

Rion looked at Chie and rolled his eyes as he said, "Of course Naoto was on."

Yosuke rolled his eyes too, "That thing about the Detective Prince solving the case? C'mon, we're the ones who actually caught the killer."

Yukiko pointed out, "But the police were the ones who identified the subject, and he was cooperating with them on it, right?"

"It's true that Naoto helped them, then," Souji said, "It's not like we could take credit for capturing Mitsuo."

"I'm kinda surprised though," Chie said, "I didn't think he was the type to go after the spotlight like that."

"Maybe he had figured out my card…," Rion thought, "But I doubt it."

Naoto had just walked nearby, "Good morning." He walked up to the six and said, "I've been waiting for you all. There's something I need to discuss with you regarding this case."

"Discuss? Dude, we'll be late if we talk too long. Hey, where's your uniform?" Yosuke was confounded.

"Could you please indulge my current theory on the matter?" Naoto asked them.

Rion shrugged, "Whatever floats your boat…"

Naoto gave Rion a dismissive look.

"As long as it doesn't take that long, I'll listen," Souji responded to Naoto.

"Okay then, what is it?" Yosuke asked.

"First, as regards commonalities between the victims, all of them were kidnapped before they were murdered," Naoto said, "The victims were all locals who had been the focus of recent media attention, becoming suddenly well-known. That is the most likely scenario. I don't think there is anything intrinsically unique about the victims themselves." Naoto turned to the group, "Haven't you all came to the same conclusion?"

"We have…," Souji said.

Naoto looked in approval, "Then, allow me to state my point. Will you admit that a number of you fit these ideal circumstances?"

The main portion of the group looked surprised that Naoto had figured all of this out.  
"There was a long interval between the second and third deaths in the case," Naoto continued, "But after I applied the aforementioned criteria, I discovered several similar disappearances had taken place. Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa. All of you disappeared shortly after being shown on the TV."

"If Naoto hadn't figured that out by now…," Rion was thinking to himself, "Our detective here is rather slow."

"Either you escaped death somehow, or you faked your own disappearances in order to divert attention from yourselves… Since some of you had ties to the victims, there came a point where I suspected one of you must be the culprit," Naoto's theory continued onward.

"You thought one of us was the killer! You can't be serious?" Chie asked in outrage.

"This was a prior theory, since discarded," Naoto shrugged, "Putting together everything I've learned up until this moment, I believe exactly the opposite. You aren't the culprits. You may, in fact, be the only ones with the means to pursue the true perpetrator. Seen as a joining of forces between the rescued, everything falls into place. Of course, this is all speculation."

Again, most of the group looked surprised… Rion was thinking, "Naoto may finally have put my clues together. Not completely though…"

"There is in fact, a flaw in the theory. It doesn't account for the third incident… Mr. Mooroka's murder," Naoto explained, "He has never been broadcast on television, and neither did he ever disappear. We must all consider the condition of his corpse. The first two victims are still listed with an unknown cause of death. But Mr. Morooka died of an easily identifiable blunt force trauma to the occipital cranium. The police have not satisfactorily solved this discrepancy, yet they are desperate to close this case. Further action will be necessary to obtain some sort of decisive evidence."

"Further action? What do you mean?" Souji asked.

"Well, whatever the outcome… the evidence should come to light," Naoto replied, "You said something interesting to me, not too long ago."

Naoto started to walk past when Yosuke interrupted, "Hey, where you going?"

"This is not a game for me, either," Naoto said and while looking at Rion, motioned him to come with the detective.

"Naoto-kun?" Yukiko looked at them askance.

Rion followed Naoto along the path walking along with the detective.

"I told you that I'm not playing a game," Naoto told him.

"Maybe in one aspect you aren't, Princess…," Rion shrugged, "But that other aspect will get you in trouble. Do you understand what you are doing?"

"I think I do now…," Naoto said plainly, "I have faith."

"I think you're a fool, Princess," Rion rolled his eyes.

"I'd rather you not call me that," Naoto chided him, "Flaunting the fact you know my gender is ridiculous."

Rion turned around and started to walk away, "As long as you hide, you'll still be playing a game. This will cause your downfall, Ms. Shirogane." Rion gave Naoto one more glance, "Don't be a fool. I'll be waiting for you to stop acting like one."

"Likewise," Naoto responded.

When Rion came back to the group he was asked what he was talking with Naoto about, but the oldest of the senpai shrugged it off.

Souji spent the day at school playing basketball with Kou. They actually played a game. They only lost because Daisuke sucks majorly. They went to Aiya's afterwards. He spent the night talking to Nanako about where people go to after they die. Souji was going to say they rot in the ground but that'd be terrible so, he decided to say they go to a magnificent place called "Heaven".

The next day, it was raining and as Souji was walking to the school, the girls were all talking about Naoto.

"Did you see the special about Naoto-kun?"

"Man, he really has it all going for him. And he's so young to be a detective, too."

"He's so cute, and he has this aura of mystery around him. It's so cool!"

"Will he be at school today?"

"Shut up already!" Souji thought, "Rion is probably still fuming and someone has to pour cold water on him before he explodes again and spikes everyone's lunches."

Naoto wasn't at school and it was pouring rain. Souji spent his afternoon eating ramen to increase his courage and knowledge. He also increased his diligence in trying to eat the endless beef bowl. Souji rolled his eyes, "I still can't eat shit!"

Since it was raining, Souji knew he had to watch the Midnight Channel. He trudged upstairs and waited for Midnight to come so he could gaze at a blank screen, hopefully. A yellow screen came on, and there was someone on that yellow screen. An undistinguishable, hazy form that Souji felt he had seen at least once before.

Souji got a phone call after the yellow screen disappeared. "Probably because something came on," Souji thought, "I should have expected anything by now in Inaba." It was everyone's favorite loudmouth, Yosuke.

"Hello?" Souji said.

"Did you see that? Someone came on, right?" Yosuke asked in disbelief.

"No, it was a figment of your imagination, Yosuke. Of course I saw that," Souji responded.

"Now that the killer's been caught, do we still gotta worry about the Midnight Channel?" Yosuke asked.

"Maybe we still have to," Souji told Yosuke

"But then, someone said the blurry image seemed like an advance notice," Yosuke said.

"Yukiko said that," Souji reminded him.

"What exactly is the Midnight Channel anyways? Did it have anything to do with the murders? Argh… This is so frustrating. What do you think?" Yosuke asked in irritation.

"I'm not exactly sure. Maybe it didn't. There is only one person that I trust to figure that out," Souji thought of Rion when he talked to Yosuke.

"Do you recognize who appeared just now?"

"It might have been Naoto," Souji deduced.

"Naoto? Why would he show up on TV?"

"Naoto was on a TV special. Maybe Rion talked to Naoto to warn him," Souji said.

"Now that you mention it, I wonder what he thinks of the Midnight Channel. I don't get this at all. It's keeps nagging at me, I can tell. I'm sure the others saw it too," Yosuke said.

"We'll just have to get together and talk about it then after school," Souji told Yosuke before he hung up.

Just like they agreed, the group met in class 2-2 after school around Souji and Rion's desk.

"So… about the Midnight Channel last night," Chie started.

"I wonder who that was?" Yukiko shrugged.

"I talked to Teddie, and he said no one had entered the other side…," Yosuke put his forefingers on the bridge on his nose.

"That's good," Souji said, "But it was only a yellow screen after all."

Rise looked like it was obvious, "Well yeah, the killer's been caught."

"Yeah…," Yosuke said in a low voice.

Rise and the others looked at Kanji, who was looking down in thought.

"Huh? What's up?" Kanji suddenly looked up.

"You did see the program last night, didn't you?" Rion asked.

"Get with the program, Kanji!" Souji told him.

"So? 'S got nothing to do with us," Kanji explained, "The killer's behind bars, man. You guys are overreacting."

Rion looked at him, "That line of thinking is rather irrational."

"Rion, that shit Naoto said didn't make any sense either, so there's no use getting all worked up about it," Kanji told him.

"That shit, as you call it, makes more sense than you think," Rion replied.

Yukiko interrupted, "Naoto-kun?"

"Uh, no, well… How do I put this?" Kanji was flustered.

"What, were you out of it because you were still thinking about what Naoto said?" Yosuke asked.

"That is a good explanation if you are still worried about all of that," Souji smiled.

Kanji angrily put his fist forward, "That's… I ain't hung up on it!"

Yosuke put in a mocking tone, "It's okay, we all understand. Just don't go overboard, man."

Kanji was getting pissed, "You little… I said that's not it! Tch… I got stuff to do. I'm outta here!" He walked away in anger.

Chie looked annoyed, "Stop bringing that up, Yosuke! You know he doesn't think that's funny!"

Rise seemed to like the gossip, "Ooh, what? What? Did something happen between Kanji and Naoto-kun?"

Yukiko hurriedly changed the subject. All the 2nd years knew why she did so, "Well, that aside… Is it me, or does the town seem kind of strange lately? Everyone is in high spirits, for some reason… And they all talk about other people, but never themselves."

"That is rather natural for humanity. They don't want to focus on themselves," Rion said in his normal voice as he pushed up his glasses.

"Really? I don't think it's anything special," Chie shrugged, "Now that the murder case is solved, people feel relaxed, that's all."

"That's how society is," Rise pointed out, "They all just want to get in on the latest trends. People get excited fast and lose interest even faster. It goes 'round and 'round. There's no underlying reason for it."

"I don't know… It still seems a little weird," Yukiko said.

Chie and Rise looked at Yukiko as she said, "It's like… they're all afraid of something."

They all looked confused as she suddenly said, "Oh… sorry. I just had this feeling."

"Huh…," Chie said.

"You think no one else picked up on that?" Rion asked, "It seems like something big is coming. It's like the calm before the storm."

"That aside," Souji said, "It's going to rain again tonight."

"We should check the Midnight Channel just in case," Chie told them.

The group dispersed after their talk and left while Rion and Rise left together to talk about something.

Souji thought it was odd that Rion suddenly was talking to people all of a sudden, "Maybe it's about the case," Souji said to himself. He shook his head and left them alone.

---  
"So, you have to stand up and be loud and resilient when someone tries to tell you to do something," Rion was saying.

"You mean, like shout?" Rise asked as they were walking.

"No, not really. I mean take command of what you say. You don't have to get angry, just be forceful,"

"Okay, I think I get it…"

The conversation continued along the riverbank.

"Welcome home, Big bro!" was what Souji heard as he came back to his home.

He grabbed a pear on his way up to watch the Midnight Channel. He ended up having to hit the bathroom instead.

The TV on 5/15 at Midnight was really clear. It was vivid and Naoto appeared wearing a lab coat over his summer garb.

The Naoto on the TV said, "Good evening, everyone. I am the Detective Prince, Naoto Shirogane. Welcome to "Experiment of the Century: The Genome Project." I will be experimentor and experimentee both, in a forbidden yet wonderful bodily alteration process! You shall witness my departure into a new realm… The moment of a new birth! From the chosen day forth, I shall walk a completely different path in life. And I will share this glorious occasion, this memorable day, with all of you! Do stay tuned!"

It turned off and Souji got a phone call. It was Kanji. Souji thought, "Who else would be calling about Naoto? Oh yeah, Rion."

"Hey! Izzat you, Senpai? Naoto was just… He…!" Kanji was a "little" flustered.

"Calm down a little bit," Souji told him.

"So, this means he was kidnapped?" he asked.

"I think so…"

"You said people only show up clearly on TV once they're thrown into that other world, right?" Kanji asked worriedly.

"That's what we believe," Souji answered.

Kanji asked, "The hell's going on? I thought we caught the damn killer!"

"We might have missed something," Souji said, "We'll just have to discuss it tomorrow."

"I mean, being a detective, solving cases… It ain't worth shit if he gets himself kidnapped. Damn, that idiot pisses me off. Well, let's all get together and meet after school," Kanji seemed to be a mix of frustrated, confused, and worried.

"Okay, I'll see you after school," Souji wished him goodbye.

Souji got another call. It was Rion, but he knew Rion would be much more composed, hopefully.

"This is quite a foolish endeavor that Naoto has gotten into," Rion started off by saying.

"You think so. Did you know beforehand?" Souji asked.

"It was obvious Naoto knew what would happen. Naoto was waiting for it, and trying to see if it would work," Rion said. His voice never wavered.

"That does sound pretty stupid when you think about it," Souji replied.

"Well… I'm sure you need sleep, and I'm sure Kanji already called you," It's like he read Souji's mind. It was a little eerie.

"You're right; I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Good night."

Souji went to bed straight after that. His dreams were plagued of fighting Shadows.

He heard from some of the students as he was walking to school the next day that the rain wouldn't last. After school, they all met around the table to discuss what had happened last night.

"Last night, on TV… That was Naoto-kun for sure," Yukiko said as they sat around their "headquarters" at Junes.

"What's the verdict, Teddie? Is he really in there?" Chie asked.

Teddie replied, "I do smell someone."

"It's just like before… Nothing's changed!" Yosuke was frustrated.

"We have to stay calm…," Souji said.

"Like… Before…," Yukiko slowly said.

She suddenly realized, "Of course! That's why Naoto-kun appeared on the news so suddenly!" Souji knew it was true.

Souji sighed as he thought, "Great… And I thought Naoto is supposed to be smart."

When most of the group looked confused, she explained, "He said something didn't seem right, and that he wasn't convinced. He also believed that people who are kidnapped appear on TV first, remember?"

Yosuke realized, "Wait, you're saying… he's using himself as bait?" Yosuke eyed had widened all of a sudden.

When Chie looked confused, Souji said, "He did come to the same conclusion that we did, about how people who become famous through the TV disappear. He could be trying to prove the theory by using himself."

Rion who had his eyes closed said calmly, "You just now figured that out. Of course Naoto is the bait, and our fish just took the bait. Naoto was never satisfied with the result of the case." Rion thought, "Then again, neither was I. Mitsuo was never right in the mind."

"You mean he got kidnapped on purpose!" Chie exclaimed, "That's crazy! He could be killed!"

Rise told them, "He said… "This is not a game for me, either…" It's all my fault… I'm the one who said that to him." Souji shook his head in denial.

"No, it isn't, Rise," Rion told her, "There are many things that lead to this, and this was not it."

Kanji interrupted everything by slamming his fists on the table, "That idiot! Why the hell didn't he just tell us?"

"Don't you think this would stop him if we did?" Souji pointed out, "So, he left us clues instead so we could figure it out…"

"I know! That son of a…," Kanji was venting.

Chie was flustered, "But, what about the killer the police are holding now? Mitsuo did kill King Moron, right?"

"That's all Mitsuo did though… Naoto singled that out," Souji said.

"I get it now… Naoto-kun did mention that," Yukiko replied, "He said it was strange that the police was able to find Morooka's cause of death."

"Then is King Moron the only one Mitsuo killed?" Yosuke asked, "That would explain why there were no signs of him being thrown into the TV. The killer didn't change his methods for King Moron, there just was a different killer."

"Then whoever kidnapped Naoto-kun… That's the real killer?" Rise put forth.

"It may be so… but we can not be certain until we capture that person," Rion said, "Everything has many layers to it."

"But… wait a sec," Chie stopped them, "Didn't Mitsuo say he was the one behind it all? Why would he take blame for someone else's crime? Isn't that weird? And they said on the news that the culprit confessed to the other murders, too. There's also something else that's been bothering me, but…"

Kanji slammed his fists again, "To hell with someone who's behind bars! If we don't get off our asses that stupid Naoto is going die in there! We gotta go find him!" They nodded in agreement.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

I own about this much of SMT and Persona… NOTHING! NOTHING!

This is the chapter of the Secret Laboratory. I managed to get this done really really quick.

* * *

After discussing Naoto's plight, the group entered the TV world to try and find Naoto from within. Souji decided the best course of action was to have Rise look for Naoto, even if would seem fruitless to find the detective. After all, they have had trouble finding people for the past couple of kidnappings. Rise had Himiko summoned and was searching for Naoto at that moment in the lobby. The satellite dish on the white-robed Persona was moving back in forth to search for Naoto.

"Someone's definitely in here," Rise said, "And the world seems to have grown larger."  
Teddie seemed impressed, "That's amazing Rise-chan! There's no way my nose can pick up that much. Shall I give you a massage?" Souji and Rion both rolled their eyes.

Yosuke looked disturbed, "Don't bother her!" He didn't want her to be distracted. Rise was frustrated, "It's the same as last time. I know he's here, but I can't tell where."

"That's unfortunate…," Rion said, "But it was expected. It seems the fog is getting worse each time."

"I need something that'll help me understand him. I need some clues," Rise explained, "Without that, I have no idea which way we should look."

Kanji was annoyed, "Dammit! There's too much we don't know about that kid. But if we don't do something, he's gonna… "

"We get it, Kanji!" Souji exclaimed. He thought, "I wonder if Rion had a scanner if he could find Naoto."

Chie yelled at the first-year, "Hey, snap out of it! This is just like all of the other times! Let's not panic, keep an eye on the weather, and do this like always. We'll save him, no problem! First, we need to look for something that'll help us locate him."

Kanji tried to deny it, "I… I know… I wasn't panicking! We know he's over here… So all we gotta do is get him out."

"And I'm the Prime Minister…," Rion thought to himself, "Kanji is worried about her, even if he doesn't even know he's a she."

"I'm sorry I couldn't find him," Rise looked down as she dispelled her Persona, "All I need is some kind of hint to help me understand him better. Then I could find him for sure!"

"Well, Souji, we're going to need you for this…," Chie said.

"You gotta help Naoto!" Kanji begged.

"Alright, alright," Souji muttered, "Damn! And he says he isn't panicking. The only person I can count on not freak out is Rion, and he despises Naoto," Souji thought. He wondered if he could save Naoto if Kanji was that distracted.

So, everyone left the TV world to search for clues about Naoto Shirogane.

Souji's first place to visit was the Practice Building of Yasogami High. He went to the entryway between the classrooms and Practice Building to talk to various students who adored the Detective Prince.

Souji talked to a female high school student who seemed to know something about Naoto.

"What do you know about Naoto?" Souji asked.

"You want to hear about Shirogane-kun?" the girl responded, "Oh, this is interesting! I saw him get really angry!"

"Really… Do you know why?" Souji asked.

"I'm not sure what it was about, but he was with a policeman. I wonder what happened to make him shout like that. This was in the shopping district not too long ago."

"Thanks…"

"If he was with a police officer, could I ask Dojima? Uhh, maybe not…," Souji thought. Dojima was really suspicious of them.

So, Souji headed to the North Shopping District. He saw a police officer who was talking to another citizen about something.

When Souji tried to ask a question… "What do you want?" the officer said rudely, "I'm in the middle of something here, so don't bother me. If school's out, go home already. I swear… kids these days."

"What a bastard!" Souji muttered as he walked away from the police officer. He felt like giving the officer a gesture, but he thought the officer might see it.

Souji decided to try talking to someone else, as he headed to the Samegawa Floodplains to talk to Chie for a suggestion for whom.

"So, what do you think we should do, as the police are being jackasses about it," Souji said.

"Yeah… I guess it's no good unless we act like we're Naoto-kun's friends and we're worried about him. Something like, "He hasn't been to school recently and we're getting worried. Is he busy with police work?" Why not try something like that?" Chie suggested.

"I'll see if that works," Souji said.

Souji went back into the North Shopping District to talk to the police.

"You got some business with me, kid? Just cause I don't look it, I'm still busy, you know."

"I'm worried about Naoto…," Souji told the officer.

"Shirogane? Do you know him?" the officer asked.

"I go to school with Naoto," Souji responded.

"I haven't seen him at the station lately, either," the officer said, "Funny, it wasn't that long ago that'd be well around into the night, looking through the files. Even if he wasn't satisfied with the case's outcome, he seemed to be so focused that I thought he was obsessed with it."

"Obsessed?" Souji asked.

"Yeah, he would spend all day researching that case, and would never shut up about it. It gave me a headache," the officer said.

"Alright," Souji said.

Souji couldn't find anyone else to talk to that day, so he went home, ate dinner, and went to bed. The next day he had to deal with Sofue's questions. "Why did Magellan go on his journey around the world?" He mooched off of Rion, who told him it was for the money. He got it right, and he moved on for his search to find Naoto. Souji headed back to the Shopping District. He talked to another police officer he met on the Southside.

"How can I help you? Did you see anyone suspicious in the town?" the officer asked.

"No, Naoto hasn't been to school recently and we were worried," Souji responded.

"That kid has been skipping school to do his investigation? What's his problem, really? The department has all but closed the case. Just because he's not satisfied… Sheesh." The officer sounded annoyed. He shook his head at the whole thing.

"Sir?" Souji asked inquisitively.

"All we wanna do is shut the book on this thing so we don't have to deal with it anymore," the officer told him.

"Sounds like you don't give a damn," Souji thought.

The officer went on, "I wish he'd let it go already. No wonder the whole department treats him like a kid. He's getting all worked up over nothing. That's why everyone is giving him the cold shoulder, ya know?"

Souji thought he had enough for Rise to find Naoto. "I think it's enough," Souji thought, "I wonder if Rion thinks the same about Naoto?"

"Let's head into the TV everyone," Souji said as they met up at Junes, at their headquarters.

"Okay, we need to save Naoto!" Kanji exclaimed in exuberance.

As they reached the TV world, Souji headed over to Rise, who looked interested as he came over to give his information to her.

"You found some clues, right Senpai?" Rise asked, "Tell me, quick! I'll find him in a jiffy!"

He walked right up to Rise to tell her just that.

"So, did you find out more about Naoto-kun?" Rise asked.

"He's treated like a kid because Naoto is really obsessive about the cases even when they're already solved," Souji told the girl.

"I see… So he's being stubborn about the case… But it seems like it's rare for Naoto-kun to get worked up over something. Okay… I've got a good feel for him. I think I can do this," Rise told the leader, "It won't take me long to find him with my Persona, so be ready to follow me once I do!"

"Okay, we'll be ready," Souji replied, adjusting his blade. He lost another coat due to the darn thing.

Rise summoned her Persona, pointed in the direction that Naoto had disappeared and they followed her to the location of Naoto's disappearance. It looked like a fortress, with satellite dishes on top.

"What is this place?" Kanji asked as the whole group made a circle by the place.

"It's all sci-fi. Doesn't this remind you of the secret hideouts in those action shows?" Yosuke put forth.

"Oh yeah, I used to watch Featherman all the time when I was a kid," Kanji replied.

Rise told the group, "I heard those are really tough shoots. A lot of the actors do their own stunts, like jumping through fire themselves."

"If you can do their stunts, you don't need to have great acting skills," Rion muttered to himself.

"Well, it's every man's dream to do that stuff," Yosuke said.

"Yeah, I can understand that. They're action-based, like those kung-fu movies," Chie pointed out.

"Who wouldn't want to do that?" Souji asked.

"Doesn't the phrase, "secret hideout" have an exciting ring to it?" Chie asked.

"I understand that," Souji said.

"Actually, when I was a kid, I had my own secret place near the mountain by Yukiko's house," Chie turned to Souji and raised herself in a martial arts pose, "I'd pretend that a legendary kung-fu master was teaching me special techniques. Hwataa!"

"You got it all wrong…," Yosuke muttered, "But hey, so this secret hideout thing came from Naoto's mind right? I guess our proper boy detective isn't as grown up as he thinks."

"You thought Naoto was grown up," Rion rolled his eyes; "You have to be joking. Naoto is only a kid."

The group looked at him funny and Souji disrupted it by saying, "Let's just get going."

They entered the Secret Laboratory, as the group decided to call it. It seemed like a better name than Rise's "dungeon", which they called the Marukyu Striptease. Souji had gotten the group new weaponry since their last visit into TV, and he acquired new Personas as well.

Tajikarawo and Rion felt worthless early on here.

They were walking along the 1st floor when they encountered not 1, but 2 kinds of rock Shadows. Rion knew when a rock Shadow came by, you don't bother attacking it. So, like a smart Persona-user, he did something else.

"Tajikarawo! "Marakukaja!" Rion exclaimed as he rolled away from not one but two different kinds of boulders.

The boulders kept rolling into the others, and Yukiko did her job with her new Persona, "Amaterasu!" "Mediarama!"

Souji faced down some of the boulders and yelled, "Dominion!" "Mahamaon!" It made all of those Shadows disappear.

"Don't let me miss me out on the fun!" Yosuke said, hitting his card, "Susano-O!" "Margarula!" He had attacked the other boulder Shadows and it blew them away.

They turned the corner only to walk into an unmoving statue. Chie walked towards it. "I got it!"

"I don't know if this is a good idea," Rion said.

"Protect me, Tomoe!" "Black Spot!" Tomoe didn't protect Chie, as she went flying backwards and hit the ground hard.

Rise yelled, "Yukiko, its weak against fire!"

"Hear me Amaterasu!" "Agilao!" It knocked over the Shadow.

"Let's kill it!" Souji exclaimed as he drew his blade and cleaved it in half.

They walked right past it only to see more licker Shadows. Their tongues hit Souji in the face.

"Souji-kun!" Yukiko yelled, grabbing Souji as she her card simultaneously, "Maragion!" The flames reneged back to Yukiko as she fell back.

"Ahh!" Yukiko cried out as the lickers started casting their own, "Maragion!" and hit Chie as well. It knocked her over.

"Yuki-chan!" Teddie exclaimed, "Go Kintoki-Douji!" "Mabufula!" The tongues got stuck to the floor and Rion took out his ninjato and started lopping them off.

After Teddie's "Mediarama!", the group didn't run into any new enemies until the stairs of the 1st basement. They were trees… Shadows that looked like trees.

"Quit hitting me dammit!" Kanji yelled, as the branches of the Shadow slammed into him. Electricity didn't work against it and he used "Fatal End!".

So, what did Souji suggest? Well, what do trees do? They burn.

"Let's go!" "Amaterasu! Maragion!"

The group was running towards the 3rd floor "basement" when Chie was knocked over by a fiery blast. "Agidyne" was the spell, and it had only been used by Black Frost before. There was a large group of the Shadows that pooled around them. The groups of Shadows were the lady-like dancers with heart-shaped heads that carried swords. Yukiko quickly picked up Chie from the ground, and got themselves ready for a fight. They were the Shadows Rion loved to fight.

"Back each other up," Souji commanded, "Yukiko and Teddie will heal when necessary, but otherwise anything goes."

"Let's dance!" Rion yelled as the Personas, their users, and shadows collided.

"Let's go!" Yosuke exclaimed as his kunai struck one of the Shadows.

He removed the blade, parried with the other, and struck again. Souji's sword cleaved through one of the shadows, blade and skin. Setanta's spear lifted the shadow up into the air and it was struck by Tajikarawo's staff, ripping it away from the spear. Amaterasu's blades shredded the monsters, and Chie's feet followed. Finally, the barrage of Shadows stopped, and the group was able to reach the 3rd basement.

Teddie groaned at seeing a never-ending labyrinthine-looking base. Souji looked at Teddie, "Well, what did you expect?"

"I don't think I can bear this!"

Souji shook his head as they continued onward. The enemies they started encountering in the 3rd floor were quite different from the ones in the previous two.

There was this annoying whirling tower Shadow. Fire and electricity were ineffective against it, so Kanji and Yukiko's Persona were worthless. The rest of the group had to pick up the slack.

"Fire attacks are ineffective against this one," Rise told them as Yosuke lifted the tower into the air with "Garula" from Jiraiya and Chie slammed into the ground with her greaves.

"Bufudyne!" Teddie yelled as it leveled the Shadow.

Walking through a doorway, there were spinning rings like seen on Susano-O, but encased by sand.

"They're reflecting elements," Souji said, "We'll just have to use physical attacks.

"Torrent Shot!" Rion exclaimed as Tajikarawo's staff pierced through the sand and it spilled out.

They walked into a tank Shadow randomly. It liked to roll into the Persona-users.

"Zionga!" Kanji yelled. The lightning went straight back into Kanji's chest… "Damn…" He went flying.

"I was bearly there to save you in time," Teddie said as he caught Kanji.

"Shut up Teddie," Kanji said.

When they found it weak against ice, Chie and Teddie had a field day against the tanks. Kintoki-Douji and Tomoe froze the tank's controls and Souji finished it off with his sword.

There was another gigas enemy with long flowing hair. They decided to let Rion handle it when they found it had no particular weaknesses and it reflected fire and electricity.

"Three on one?" Rion smirked, "Hardly fair odds for you guys."

When the others turned back around, Rion was cleaning his sword on one of the gigai's hair before it disappeared. The group looked dismayed, "What?" Rion raised his hands in the air.

Souji shook his head, "Rion is that cocky?" he was thinking, "But, we expect him to win."

In the middle of the cross-shaped fourth floor, they found a door that could not be opened.

"I guess we're not allowed in," Chie said.

"We're not important enough," Souji muttered.

"Like hell we aren't!" Kanji yelled, "We need to save Naoto right now, and nothing is going to stop us!" He slammed his chair into the locked door.

Yosuke put his hand on Kanji's shoulder, "Calm down Kanji…"

Rion said calmly, "Save your energy for another day,"

The group decided that it would be best to not bother going to the 5th floor until they had rested for at least one day.

As the group walked out from the TV, most of the group looked rather tired and worn-out. Souji turned to them and said, "We'll meet up the day after tomorrow and move forward from there."

Kanji wasn't happy with that order, "Why aren't we going to try and save Naoto tomorrow!?"

Both Chie and Yosuke looked worried. They didn't want Kanji to blow up. He looked like he was ready to go back in this evening by himself. Betraying an order was a no-no. Souji looked at Kanji… he didn't want Kanji to die. The only person he trusted to even go off alone for a little while was Rion, and even then… we were nearby.

Yukiko tried to calm him down, "There are plenty of days until the fog comes Kanji-kun."

Kanji wasn't buying it, "Dammit! The longer we wait the worse it will get dammit!"

"Moron…," Rion thought as he placed his hand on Kanji's shoulder and spun him around, "You can calm down and wait or you can be a liability to the group," he told him, "It won't help Naoto if we get ourselves killed in the process rushing this."

Kanji seemed to calm down a little, "You're right…," Kanji relaxed and brushed off Rion's shoulder, "We need to wait."

"Alright," Souji reminded them, seeing that peace had returned. It was nice to see Rion being logical. "Thankfully, it's all smoothed over," Souji thought to himself. He then said, "We'll meet at Junes in the daytime on Monday on our day off."

Souji walked home after saying goodbye to Yukiko and flopped down on his bed after getting home to the Dojima residence. He just felt a "little tired" as Souji hit his futon.

The next day was a good day for him to recharge his batteries. Souji decided he would hang out with Kanji for the day. After convincing Kanji that it would be okay to hang out while Naoto was missing, Kanji taught Souji how to sew. It was a little creepy, but Souji felt he needed to help Kanji relax a little. As Kanji and Souji parted, he saw Rion and Rise talking. He caught snippets of their conversation. They seemed to be together, but not really so. He wasn't exactly sure what it was about. He knew Rion, so he didn't think it was anything serious. Yet, he still thought it was weird, "What the hell is he doing around Rise all the time? Am I missing something? He isn't yelling at her like he does around Naoto. Maybe he isn't… umm…" he thought. He just went back to home and replied to Nanako, "Hey, good evening Nanako."

The next day was a day off from school. Yet, Souji had to go into the TV to save Naoto.

"Are we all here then?" asked Souji as they gathered at Junes.

"Yep. We are all ready to go!" Chie said with a smile.

"Alright then, let's get ready," Souji said.

"Let's go Senpai," Rise said.

As the group headed into the TV, they moved onto the 5th floor, which brought on new enemies and pain.

"Uggh… This is so annoying," Rise muttered, "I'm tired of analyzing new enemies every couple of floors."

"Tell me about it," Yosuke said, "I never know if my attacks will work, or if I'll get blasted in the face."

"Oh, shut up will you!" Souji said as he faced an enemy.

The one that was facing Souji was a police-type of shadow. It was a variant of the one they had faced before. They soon realized that any magic they cast at it was useless, and worse, it reflected back at them. Souji should have just figured this out from the last time he faced a similar type of these Shadows.

"Damn it all!" Yosuke yelled, "Didn't I just tell you this!?"

"Oh shut up!" Souji yelled as he brought his katana to his shoulder, "Chie, Kanji, Rion: it's up to you three to blaze through these shadows."

Rion didn't bother summoning Tajikarawo. He only did if it was to protect the others from harm. It seemed amusing to Souji how Rion's blade managed to hook on the center of the police Shadow's key and flip him end over end. Afterwards, he would cut the Shadow in half. Rion seemed almost malicious in battle. Methodical and driven towards the Shadows' destruction was Rion's cause.

Chie and Kanji were a little more frantic in destroying the Shadows. Take-Mikazuchi and Tomoe were summoned right away for their "Black Spot!" and "Mighty Swing!". Though it seemed to drain their own strength, Chie and Kanji mustered up enough strength to drive either their legs or chairs into the enemies.

There were other enemies of course. Another snake Shadow appeared in groups of two or three as they walked down a path in the 5th floor.

"These again…?" Yosuke asked.

As it charged Yukiko, Souji jumped in the way, "Hell no!" "Dominion!" "Mahamon!"

"Thank you, Souji-kun!" Yukiko exclaimed as the snake Shadows disappeared in the white light that enveloped them.

As they walked to the 6th floor, they were confronted by a group of balances. They processed to aim at Souji and cast "Ziodyne!" and only cast "Ziodyne!" at Souji. It did no damage at all.

"Everyone, don't bother summoning," Souji said, "Just whack at them if they're just dead set at trying to kill me with lightning."

"Sounds good to me," Rion said as he drew his staff.

The balances were dispatched by staff, sword, kunai, shield, greaves, and claws.

They were blocked from moving on past the bottom of the 6th floor.

As they tried to turn around, they were attacked.

They were more of those absurd flimsy genome-looking shadows. It was amazing what Yosuke's Susano-O and Teddie/Chie's Kinoki-Douji and Tomoe's attacks can do to those things. "Magarula" and "Bufula" (Mabufula" in the case of Teddie), are wonderful things.

At a different part of the end of the 6th floor, they reached a chest, as Souji opened it… There was a card inside. It read… Research ID.

"I wonder if we can get into that room on the 4th floor that was locked through this," Souji said.

"We should try," Yosuke responded.

"Let's head on over then," Rion said.

The group was a little tired after whacking at stuff, and they were sure there was something waiting for them.

Rise said to them, "I don't know if we are ready for anything that might be waiting for us."

"Can you clear a path for us Rion so we can get back to the 4th basement?" Souji asked. He knew he was probably the least tired and in the best shape. He knew he'd be taking advantage of him. Plus, there was the off chance he could get hurt.

Rion only nodded and ran off, "Meet you there," he said before he turned around, his staff waving as Tajikarawo came to his side. Souji knew he wasn't joking around about clearing a path then.

"Are you sure about this?" Rise asked, "Going off on his own?"

Souji responded, "We've already cleared out a lot of them. You have to trust Rion."

As they walked back towards the 4th basement, no Shadows were coming towards them. All they were seeing was black smoke. It seems as if Rion was doing his job.

"He really is crazy, isn't he?" Yukiko asked.

"He's just being diligent," Souji responded.

"I don't think I could bear the load he has," Teddie said.

Yosuke looked at the bear, "Now's not the time for jokes."

"You said it," Chie muttered as Teddie started looking downtrodden.

As the group walked around in the 4th basement, they reached the door that had been previous locked, seeing Rion finish off the last Shadow that had blocked their path. It was one of the gigas that had previously hounded them so much earlier. The black smoke filled the air from the gigas's painful death as Rion made Tajikarawo disappear.

"What took you so long?" Rion asked.

Rise looked at him, "Well, we are tired…"

"Right…," Rion said disbelievingly.

"Are you okay?" Yukiko asked, looking at some bruises and cuts on his forearms,

"Maybe I should heal you."

"Save your energy," Rion told her, "There's probably something we need to worry about on the opposite side of that door." Souji shook his head at his friend's insanity.

When they looked at the door, the door told them in a robotic voice, "The Research Area Is Beyond This Point. Entry Is Forbidden To Ordinary Combatants. Please Present Your ID."

The group used their Research ID to get into the door.

"Hold onto your asses, people," Souji said as they entered.

"This isn't so bad," Kanji said as nothing but regular Shadows were there. He would feel differently when the group would reach the next door.

Rise would inform Souji and the group as she summoned Himiko when they were about to open that door, "Be careful! I sense a strong presence beyond this door!"

"Alright, we're going in!" Souji said, "Again, hold onto your ass!"

Yosuke pretended to hold onto his ass as Souji started to open the door until Chie hit him. "Hey! That hurts!"

What the group saw before them as they entered was a huge freakin' machine, robot, something or other.

The machine told them, "INTRUDER DETECTED WITHIN THE RESEARCH AREA. ELIMINATION PROCEEDING." And so the battle began.

"Oh, shit!" Yosuke muttered.

"Oh, be careful. This one's strong," Rise said as they started fighting.

The enemy was pretty predictable. It always started by using "Power Charge". It followed up with an attack called "Herculean Strike" that hit everyone. Souji soon found out that "Herculean Strike" hurt like hell. He also knew that Dominion would not be a useful Persona in the battle. Dominion wasn't very resistant from shadows slamming swords into it. Souji readied his sword and slammed his sword into a new card. "Rangda!" Souji would be satisfied with this Persona. It was resistant to physical attacks. If only he was as well.

"Everyone, try and get clear of his attacks!" Souji yelled, "Guard after he charges!"  
Rion, who had been knocked back at least five to ten feet while protecting himself with his staff in a diagonal motion, "I know! What the hell do you think I'm doing?"

"Guys!" Rise yelled, "Magic is your best chance to win!"

"Schiesse," Rion muttered, "I guess I'm useless again…" He yelled to his Persona, who was in a guarded state, "Tajikarawo! Matarukaja! Keep them protected… use Tetrakarn any chance you get on the others!"

Yukiko was the strongest damage dealer, magic-wise, but she was a healer as well. So, Teddie took over the healing duties with Kintoki-Douji. The rocket-wielding Persona used "Mediarama!" on the others when they needed it.

The robotic Shadow was strong from any attacks made against it physically, but it didn't stop the humans from landing its own when it was attacking the whole group at once. Kunai flashed, a chair landed blows, kicks hit the shadow, swords sliced, and claws pierced into the shadow. Rion ran towards the Shadow with his ninjato bared, and the Shadow swung his sword down. Rion spun back to the left of the Shadow, ran up the side of the Shadow, pushed off to the ground, and ran back to it to drive his ninjato into the left body circuitry.

It was rather insignificant damage compared to the blasts of magic from Amaterasu and Rangda. Their "Agidyne!" burned and charred the robot. Tomoe froze the robot long enough with "Bufula!" for Take-Mikazuchi to use "Zionga!" to fry its circuitry. As soon as it recovered it would be blown into the air by Jiraiya with "Garula!". The rest of the Personas were used in healing or support duties.

Unfortunately, it was taking too long. Far too often did Teddie have to heal, or Rion have to recast support spells. They were getting tired. They already had gone through multiple floors today, and they were fighting an extremely hard enemy afterwards. Souji had his blade bared, Rangda had charged at the Shadow, flames flaring as it came to life. Souji was in good health still, but his mind was tired. The casting was taking a toll on him. He couldn't really think straight. Neither could Yukiko, or Teddie for that matter.

"Dammit!" Souji thought to himself, "We need to finish this."

He charged with his sword at his right side facing downward, and flipped it to his left when he reached the shadow so he could thrust it when he got to the Shadow. When he made contact, the Shadow started shaking erratically. "What the hell is going on?" Souji asked.

"I'm not sure…," Chie said. She wiped the sweat and dried blood off her brow. "Have we killed it?"

Rise wasn't so sure… "Oh my god! You guys need to run!"

Rion knew they couldn't get away, "You all need to try and guard against this!" he yelled.

"What do you mean guard?" Kanji gestured, "You mean it's going to blow or something?"

"Blow up?" Yosuke looked confused, then shocked, "You're kidding me, right?"

"It's unbearievable!" Teddie said.

"Just listen to Rion!" Souji yelled.

Rion took a deep breath as he sheathed his blade, and released his staff again. He put it across his body. He sighed, "Just try and hold on!"

Everyone else moved into a position to protect themselves, whether it was putting a fan in front of them, or holding a knee over their body.

The robot suddenly stopped shaking. Rise yelled, "This is it!" The attack was called "Last Resort!" When it stopped shaking; it blew up in a big blast. Needless to say, it knocked everyone off their feet. Luckily, everyone was still standing afterwards, metaphorically speaking.

Souji was the second to get up actually. Third, really, since Rise was clear of everything and wasn't knocked over. Rion was supporting himself on his staff, breathing heavily, but he seemed okay. He asked, "Everyone okay?" to the open-eyed group sprawled on the floor. They nodded.

"That hurt like a bitch," Yosuke said as he staggered up.

"Yosuke-kun!" Yukiko admonished him, but she did look hurt as Souji gave her a hand as she said, "I admit it was painful when it hit me."

Kanji and Chie were woozy. When they got up, they stumbled into each other and fell over again. Yukiko started laughing.

"Shut up Yukiko," Chie muttered.

Souji shook his head, "Okay, I think we're done…" They picked up a Leader Card and headed out.

The group left the TV world and promised they'd come back the next day to finish saving Naoto. Even Kanji didn't complain this time. He was too tired to resist. Souji walked Yukiko to the bus station and started walking home. When he arrived home, he got his usual, "Welcome home, big bro!" from Nanako, and responded with a "Hello, Nanako."

Souji ate a quick dinner and fell asleep on the futon almost automatically.

The next day, a Tuesday, went by quickly. At least, the school day did. For Souji, at least one interesting thing happened during school. It was at the end of lunch. The leader ate with Yukiko, and had choked down some concoction she had made for him. As they walked down from the roof, Souji saw Rise talking to Rion. She looked worried.

"You're talking about running through alone?" she asked.

"Idiot… He's doing that again…," Souji thought. He knew, however, it was for Naoto's safety. He walked up to the pair, and Rise saw her as another one of her senpai, maybe one who could talk some sense into Rion.

"Oh, Souji-kun… What do you need?" Rise asked.

Souji took out the Leader ID and handed it to Rion, "Don't die… or I'll kill you."

Rion chuckled. Souji noticed he had been doing that more often as Rion said, "I'll try not to."

"You're giving it to him?" she wondered, "So… You're letting him go alone…" Rise looked distressed and worried.

Rion shook his head, "I'll be fine." Rion thought, "She should be fine, but I should be there anyways. I won't die, but she might kill me, not her Shadow."

"I won't be able to scan for you. There will probably be new enemies you haven't seen yet," Rise looked flustered.

"Don't worry, Rise. The last time I went alone in a dungeon was at your place," Rion explained.

Souji smiled, "If there's anyone who can make it through and kill everything, it's Rion. Just remember to leave the ID where we can find it."

Rise still didn't believe them and glared at Rion to prove her point, but Rion nodded to Souji. Souji chuckled. It looked like Rion had more explaining to do, but it wasn't his fault.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Kanji had heard the conversation as well. He walked up to Rion and got in his face before Rion could walk away and head back to Souji's classroom.

"You're going up ahead of all of us to save Naoto?" Kanji looked steamed as he questioned Rion, "Then… I'm coming with you."

Rion rolled his eyes, "I'm sorry Kanji. You wouldn't be able to keep up. You'd only be in my way."

Kanji grabbed the older boy by his collar and attempted to lift him into the air. Rise gasped, "What are you doing Kanji-kun!?"

"You're going to take me with you! There's no way in hell I wouldn't be able to keep up with you!" Kanji yelled.

Rion put one finger on each of his arms and they went limp, therefore letting Rion drop to the ground. He said to Kanji, "Trust me… You wouldn't survive. I'm telling you that you would only get in my way. You would be in Naoto's way."

Kanji looked pissed, "Don't tell me… That I can't do this…"

Rion walked away from everyone, and as he walked towards 2-2, he turned around and said, "You'll have plenty of chances to beat down Naoto's Shadow in due time."

Kanji wanted to chase after Rion, but Souji held him back. He told Kanji, "It's not worth it. He's right, you know. He runs with pure speed and reckless abandon. You've seen him in action. He cuts down Shadows without them noticing he's there."

"But…," Kanji tried to argue.

"Remember what he said…," Souji told Kanji, "You'll get to use your strengths soon enough."

Kanji shrugged off Souji's hand and stomped off. By the time school was over, Rion was already inside the TV.

Souji chuckled, "He skipped part of school? I'm rubbing off on him."

"So… Rion is probably somewhere in the dungeon by now?" Chie asked.

"He doesn't follow the rules at all. We aren't supposed to go alone!" Yosuke exclaimed.

Souji looked at them, "I know, but Rion is doing this to make sure Naoto's Shadow doesn't transform before we get there."

Yukiko wondered, "You know what's odd? That Naoto didn't appear to us like Kanji or Rise's shadow did at certain points in the dungeon."

Souji responded, "That is different. Naoto's Shadow is probably just waiting for us then."

"Okay guys, let's go. We all just grin and bear it!" Teddie said.

And so, they found the ID right by the door. It seemed that Rion already had used it.

"Its proof that Rion was here," Souji said.

Yosuke nodded as the leader inserted the ID and entered the 7th basement. More exciting new Shadows to fight appeared in front of the group.

First Shadow on the 7th floor was Souji's favorite in anyplace he visited. Could you tell he was kidding? It was a dice Shadow.

"Damn it!" Yosuke yelled.

"Use light…," Souji said. He had figured out the problem in beating them, "Dominion!" "Mahamaon!"

"You're a genius!" Teddie exclaimed.

Of course, they had to run into an enemy that reflected physical attacks. It was a large and imposing Shadow that looked like a large monster carrying a sword.

"Magarula!" Yosuke finally countered it with his wind. It was a painful fight that required some healing after Chie's and Kanji's mistakes.

"I hope Rion didn't try and fight those," Souji said.

"Yay, another tank Shadow!" Souji exclaimed as the splash damage knocked him off his feet.

"Bufudyne!" Teddie yelled, "Go, Kintoki-Douji!"

"Hear me, Amaterasu!" "Agidyne!" Yukiko attacked with blazing flames.

The mix of fire and ice eventually extinguished the tank.

On the tip of the 8th floor, there was a new Shadow they hadn't seen before that casted both "Garudyne!" and "Bufudyne!" It had a crescent-shaped wing on top of a weird animal body.

Teddie attacked, "Bufudyne!" Back the attack went, and painful it was.

Yosuke attacked as well, "Garula!" The attack had no effect on the Shadows.

"Amaterasu!" "Agidyne!" "Dominion!" "Ziodyne!" Yukiko and Souji attacked together as the other effective magic-users.

Those were the only attacks that worked decently, so that's what they used to demolish the Shadows.

Of course, it wouldn't be a dungeon, if on the 8th floor… they didn't encounter one of those powerful knights. As the Shadow started the "Power Charge!" the group decided to attack with everyone.

"Garula!" Yosuke yelled, and it didn't work on. "Damn it… Susano-O is worthless against them."

Well, thankfully they had time to use "Mighty Swing!" "Black Spot!" "Agidyne!" "Bufudyne!" "Ziodyne!" at the same time. Souji almost felt sorry for the knight, almost.

"Here's the stairs to go down," Chie said.

Unfortunately, there were fish Shadows in the way, who casted "Mudo" at her. Souji threw a doll at Chie to take the blow. "Thanks," Chie said.

"Just let Souji kill it!" Chie exclaimed as Souji dispatched the fish with "Mahamaon."

Still, reaching the 9th basement wore the group out. It was time to save Naoto for real.

"I sense someone beyond this door!" Rise said.

"Let's go guys…," Souji said, as they opened the door, or whatever.

As they ran into the room, they saw Rion standing to the left, and they saw Naoto and the shadow.

Kanji yelled, "Naoto!"

There was one nasty looking machine in the background. God only knows what it was used for. Though Souji had an idea remembering what the Midnight Channel had to say, experimentation or something.

Naoto turned to the rest of the group. Naoto was in front of a bawling shadow in a labcoat. It was the one that was on the Midnight Channel.

"Ah, it's about time you arrived," Naoto said calmly.

"I know… you guys are slow," Rion muttered.

"Dealing with this child has been quite a pain," Naoto continued. "I've had to deal with two of them," Naoto was thinking.

Rion was thinking to himself, "Don't push the Shadow… The more time we have to rest the better"

Naoto started to walk towards the group, which alerted the Shadow, _"No! No, no, don't go!"_

Naoto turned back around and said, "It's useless speaking with you. I need to go back now."

The Shadow seemed distressed, _"Why? Why are you leaving me here? Why am I always being left alone? It's so lonely! I don't wanna be alone!"_

Rion was still thinking, "I know where this is going… Oh, this is going to be so much fun…, not"

Yukiko tried to comfort the real Naoto, knowing it was the real Naoto's feelings, "Naoto-kun."

"You wear the same face as me. It's as if you are implying we're one and the same," Naoto told the Shadow, "But the difference between you and me is…"

Rion could almost laugh as Naoto's Shadow started to speak out with much more vigor and a nastier voice, _"Why delude yourself!?" The shadow spoke harshly, "I am you! These childish gestures are no mere affectation. They're the truth."_ Naoto's shadow continued, _"The fools all say it, don't they? __**"You're only a child." **__**"Keep out of our business, kid,"**__ and so forth. No matter how many cases you spend hours cogitating over, no matter how many crimes you solve, you're a child in their eyes. It's your brain they're interested in. The grey matter locked up in that skull. As long as they need it, you're an ace detective! But once they're done, it's back to the playpen with you. You haven't the means to deal with society's two-faced nature . You're just a lonely child."_

"Naoto…," Yosuke tried to comfort Naoto.

The shadow mocked Naoto, _**"I wanna be a grown up… I wanna be a big boy right now! Then they'll see who I am! I… I want a reason for me to stay…"**_

Naoto struck back, "That's enough. I can find my own reason for living."

The Shadow laughed, _"Hah… I'm telling you that's impossible. You are but a child. How can you change that essential truth?"_

Naoto was getting annoyed, "Stop it!"

Naoto's shadow was in full swing by now, _"At_ _your core, you admire the sort of "cool" and "strong" men who populate detective fiction. But in trying to emulate them, you must know that in truth, you're nothing of the sort— you're a child. There's no avoiding first principles… Admit that you're a child, and admit there is nothing that you can do about it,"_ The shadow pointed at the machine behind them, _"Now then! Our analysis is complete. Let us begin the body alteration procedure." _The Shadow glared at Naoto, _"You have no objections, do you… "Naoto" Shirogane_?" The Shadow stressed the Naoto part of the detective's name.

"Stop it!" Naoto yelled. Naoto's voice was getting higher by the minute.

"Joy! The shit is about to hit the fan!" Rion thought, "This is not the ideal way I'd have them find out, but this will do."

_"Naoto… Such a cool, manly, name!" _the Shadow taunted.

"It means honesty too," Rion chuckled inwardly.

"_But a name doesn't change the truth. It doesn't let you cross the barrier between the sexes,"_ the Shadow had continued while Rion was thinking, _"How could you become an ideal man when you never were male to begin with?"_

Everyone in the group… besides Rion looked shell-shocked. Rion was laughing his ass off.

"Wait, what…? Did he… Did I hear that right?" Yosuke looked astonished.

"He's not a guy?" Kanji looked freaked, but maybe relieved.

"He's not a guy…," Souji said, "That's almost expected." Souji thought, "So… that's what Rion knew…" Souji was holding back a laugh, "I kind of understand why he would be mad, but still."

Rion stopped chuckling, "I'm surprised you had not figured that out by now. It was pretty obvious."

Naoto seemed not amused and unaffected, "I won't throw a tantrum. That accomplishes nothing."

The Shadow started to laugh, _"Hahaha! How often have I've heard those words from the adults! **"Throwing a tantrum won't solve anything Naoto-kun,"** and other such bilge! They made you cry, didn't they?"_ The Shadow questioned her. The Shadow still taunted her_, "Yet here you are, mimicking those same men. What exactly are you trying to justify?"_

"Does she need a reason?" Rion said in the corner.

"What…?" Naoto looked out of place.

"_It's all right. You don't need a reason anymore. That's why you are undergoing this body alteration procedure to begin with. You throw a tantrum, but it fails to change the situation a single bit… I can quite understand the feeling. After all… I am you,"_ The Shadow said.

"That's not true!" Naoto screamed. She had lost control… The pitch of her voice had reached a new height. It was at least two and a half octaves above its usual level.

"Don't say it!" Chie tried to warn Naoto of the impending disaster to come.

Rion was on the side, "Oh… like that's going to stop her from saying it."

"It's okay… Let the kid spill the whole thing," Kanji had shook his head, "If not, Naoto is just going to keep on hurting. We'll just do our job and kick the Shadow's ass. Yeah?"

Souji nodded his head, "Like we'd lose…"

The fire behind Naoto's Shadow was increasing as she was laughing, _"Ahahaha! As if you know anything about me! You'll kick my ass, huh? Fine… Go ahead and try, you lizard-brained, imbecile!"_

"Like you know anything about kicking ass, Shirogane!" Rion had released his staff, and pulled his blade, "Kanji will do a more than adequate job."

"Save the discussion for later!" Yosuke told them as the Shadow started to transform as the purple fire started rising from Naoto's Shadow.

"Here it comes!" Rise told the group.

"Stand at the ready everyone!" Souji said as Naoto's Shadow transformed.

The Shadow still looked like a detective and Naoto, but it was much larger. It was a robot, and it was all silver. It had large wings with flashing lights on the ends, and had ray guns in each hand. It also had creepy-colored eyes that were in rings.

_"I am a shadow… The true self," _The transformed Shadow said, _"What? Are you sick of yourselves too? Very well… Let the special operation commence!"_

"Pssh…," Rion smirked, "I'll warn you; this will be painful."

"Operation…?" Teddie sounded worried, "I hate ouchies!"

_"Have you made up your mind?"_ The Shadow taunted, _"Then let us commence!"_

Souji had picked a new Persona especially for this battle. A specially fused "Gabriel" that had some special spells added to it. The first thing he would use is "Mind Charge" followed by the charged "Bufudyne!"

Teddie followed up, "Bearsona! Matarukaja!"

"Go forth! Amaterasu! Agidyne!" Yukiko yelled to burn the Shadow.

"Here goes! Jiraiya!" Yosuke yelled, "Garula!" to put high concentrated wind into the body of the Shadow.

They kept up the barrage, "Protect me Tomoe! Black Spot!" Chie yelled.

"Take-Mikazuchi! Zionga!"

"Reach! Tajikarawo! Marakukaja!" came from Rion's voice.

The damage inflicted on the Shadow was quite impressive, but the Shadow would soon strike back.

The Shadow had this mean little attack called "Mute Ray!" which damage a member of the group, lower the amount of magic they could use, and lock away their Persona.

So, they had to use items to fix up the different members inflicted with the ailment. The shadow also had a neat trick of finding people's weaknesses, such as using "Bufudyne!" on Yukiko, or "Agidyne!" on Chie, or even "Garudyne!" on Kanji. It took a lot of diving in front of spells by other members of the team to minimize damage. Teddie was set on permanent healing duty very quickly into the duel because constant healing was needed. The shadow also liked to attack the enemy by flying straight at them. This "Brave Blade!" was a nasty attack and would do nasty damage. It was only nullified when Rion could try and predict it. He would then cast "Tetrakarn!" on the other members. This was draining however on Rion's normally perfect reaction time. A mix of "Tetrakarn!" and diving made him tired and bloody.

It was quite a pain when the Naoto would use "Mute Ray!" on Rion, and then while waiting for Rion so he could command his Persona again; the Shadow would attack Souji with "Brave Blade!"

"Dammit!" Souji yelled as he was knocked to the ground. He yelled at Rion, "Can't you move faster?"

Rion picked up Souji off the ground as Teddie healed him, "My mistake… I'll try not to get hit by a ray gun next time."

"That's all I ask," Souji smirked.

Souji responded by using his sword as a bat and knocking the Shadow down a peg. Chie's feet did some damage as well. The Shadow had some choice words after that.

She said, _"No, no, that will never do! Patients must lie still for me to drill holes into them."_

"Well… Go to hell!" Kanji yelled.

The Shadow had a new trick, which was quite a neat trick. Unfortunately, the others didn't think so. It was called "Element Zero". It nullified all of resistances the Personas had. Those strong against Electricity, Wind, Fire, Ice, or even Physical attacks weren't anymore. This peeved Souji when he was hit by the Shadow's "Bufudyne!"

The Shadow had another fun trick. It was called "Galgalim Eyes!". It would destroy your health, and make you really tired by firing both ray guns simultaneously. Using it on Teddie messed up our healer greatly.

"Teddie, you're hurt!" Rise yelled.

The group rushed to heal the bear. Souji switched Personas momentarily to Alraune. Souji casted "Energy Shower" to rid Teddie of his tiredness, while Yukiko cast "Diarama!" to heal his wounds.

The Shadow wasn't done though. It cast "Maziodyne!" to knock down Teddie, and damage everyone else.

"Makarakarn!" "Tetrakarn!" Rion yelled both almost all the time. Rion was trying to stop the Shadow from exploit any of the Persona-user's weaknesses.

When Teddie had gotten up from the Shadow's, he was mad, "I'm beary mad at you!" He made Kintoki-Douji use "Matarukaja!" to strengthen everyone then he followed by "Bufudyne!".

After the Shadow had knocked Teddie down, she had cast "Heat Riser!" on herself. Yosuke responded by having Jiraiya use "Dekaja!". Of course, the Shadow responded by using "Bufudyne!" on Amaterasu, and "Mute Ray!" on Kanji.

"Son of a bitch!" Kanji yelled. He did respond by throwing his chair into the Shadow.

Souji helped Yukiko up. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be alright," Yukiko responded, "Mediarama!"

The group was getting tired of being pummeled repeatedly, so they made a plan on the fly. Teddie and Yukiko's Personas, Kintoki-Douji and Amaterasu would be in constant healing mode, while the others would be in attack or support mode. In Tajikarawo's case, definitely support mode. Kanji's chair, Chie's kicks, Souji's sword, Yosuke's kunai, Yukiko's fan, Teddie's razor claw, and Rion's staff and sword knocked around the shadow. Meanwhile, Jiraiya's "Garula!", and Gabriel's "Bufudyne!" blew the Shadow into the air and froze it. Tomoe and Take-Mikazuchi provided their own punch with "Black Spot" and "Cruel Attack".

The Shadow was unhappy by these turn of events, _"Why won't you lie down and die! You children can't do anything at all!"_

The Shadow started making mistakes in battle, it casted "Agidyne!" on Amaterasu, which had no effect on her or Yukiko. It then used "Maziodyne!" on the party, but both Yosuke and Teddie had "Makarakarn!" cast on them, so the damage was reflected right back to it.

"That was a relief!" Yosuke sighed.

After making those mistakes, it started using "Element Zero!" again. They started guarding more often with everyone but Souji. Gabriel didn't have any weaknesses. When the affinities finally lifted, the attacking resumed.

Everyone gave one last push towards defeating the shadow. With one last "Bufula!" from Chie, the shadow started shutting down and disappeared into purple flames.

As Naoto lay on the ground Chie asked as Rise and Rion stood by, "So… Naoto-kun was a girl?"

Rion looked at her, "Well… yeah. You didn't know?" as Chie shook her head.

"Well… duh," Souji said, "Of course we didn't." "How long has he known?" he thought.

"It was easy to figure out…," Rion muttered.

Naoto seemed to have regained consciousness, "Ngh…"

Yukiko seemed worried for her, "Are you awake?"

Naoto started to get to her feet, "Where am I?" She seemed disoriented, "I remember you all arriving, and…" Naoto came to a realization, "That's right… You saw everything."

Naoto walked towards the Shadow. "… I lost both my parents in an accident. I was still young, so my grandfather took me in. I was inept at making friends… so I spent my time reading detective novels in my grandfather's study."

The Shadow said in a kiddy voice, _**"When I grow up… I'm going to be an awesome, hard-boiled detective."**_

"Funny, the only two Shadows I've seen talk after battle were Kanji and Naoto," Souji said quietly.

"My parents were proud of their job. I had no qualms about following in their footsteps," Naoto continued, "An inherited occupation can feel stifling to many, but I welcomed it. I yearned for the day I could become a detective as well. Perhaps I inherited that desire from them as well. I was always alone… Seeing that, my grandfather must have believed it was his duty to help me realize my dream. I secretly aided my grandfather with his clients… And before I knew it, people were calling me Junior Detective. At first I was delighted, but not everything went so smoothly…"

Souji interrupted, "What was it you said, about "You're only a child?"

Naoto answered, "Not everyone welcomes my collaboration when it comes to solving cases… My status as a child was enough to offend many of those I worked with. Were that the only issue, then it would have resolved itself with time… But though I will one day change from child to adult, I will never change from a woman to a man…" She sounded put out.

"Depressed…," Rion thought.

"Do you not like being a girl?" Yukiko asked, "Is that why you always dress like a boy?"

She nodded, "My sex does not fit the ideal image for a detective. Beside, the police department is a male-dominated society. If they had the slightest concrete reason to look down on me, no one would need me anymore…"

Kanji put forth, "You don't know that."

"Hey…," Yukiko said, "You must know already that what you yearn for isn't to become an adult or to become a boy."

Naoto sighed, "You're absolutely right," Naoto turned to the Shadow and told it, "I'm sorry… I kept ignoring you, pretending that you didn't exist. But you are me… and I am you. You've always been inside of me. What I should yearn for… No, what I must strive for is not to become a man. It's to accept myself for who I really am."

The Shadow nodded and disappeared in purple smoke. It turned into a small, flying, blue Persona with an energy sword in its hand. "Sukuna-Hikona".

With that, Naoto fell to her knees and the group rushed to her side. She said to them, "In any event, you're a devious bunch… I can't believe you kept something like this hidden for so long. No wonder the perpetrator has been able to elude the police. But it's apparent now… This case is far from over."

Yosuke responded to the last part, "That's right… And you proved it, Naoto. Anyways, you can talk more later. We need to get you out of here."

When they got out of the TV, Kanji was trying to make sure Naoto was okay. She was basically carried out by Chie, Rise, and Yukiko. No boys would be allowed to touch her, especially Kanji that was for sure.

"Hey, hey!" Kanji yelled.

Naoto seemed exhausted and in no mood to do anything but collapse.

"Give her a second, okay?" Rion asked the bruiser, "She's tired." Souji was surprised by Rion's understanding.

Chie shook her head, "Sheesh… She really put her life on the line for this."

Yukiko responded, "But without her efforts, we'd have never realized… that the culprit is still at large."

"It sucks though that she had to go through that just to figure that out," Souji said.

Kanji told the girl, "You're too frickin' reckless dammit!"

"I never doubted that you'd all come for me…," Naoto said, looking at everyone individually, "Although, the reality turned out to be far beyond what I'd imagined." She stared at Rion, "You're stupid too. You came here first on your own."

"Duh…," Rion said, "I've done this before."

"Tch… What a dumbass…," Kanji said, "You're no genius at all. We were tearing our hair over you."

"So you did worry about her, Kanji! Awww…," Rise teased.

"Shuddup!" Kanji responded, "Mind your own damn business."

Yukiko said, "I'll take her home. I don't think she can go back by herself."

Naoto tried to resist, "It's alright… I can…"

Rise stopped that, "No way, missy! Don't think that doing everything on your own is the adult thing to do!" Rise had all the girls join in, "Come on! Let's go! Grab on!"

"If you don't, we'll tie you up and have Kanji take you back…," Rion told her jokingly. Naoto stopped struggling immediately.

Souji looked at Yukiko as she carried off Naoto and headed back to his home. The rest headed off as well. He said goodbye to Rion, who pushed up his glasses before leaving. Souji wrapped up his wrist; he had sprained it again, and started walking home.

When he got back, it was populated with not only Dojima and Nanako, but also Adachi. Dojima was on the couch, Nanako was sitting at the dinner table, while Adachi was swaying back and forth.

"Somebody's drunk…," Souji thought, "I wish I could get drunk… My day has been one hell of a long one. I should call Rion. He's probably gloating because he finally got out the fact that Naoto is a girl."

"Hey, welcome baaack!" Adachi greeted Souji as he came through the door.

"Umm… hi," Souji responded.

Dojima apologized, "Sorry, we got off early today."

"I understand."

"C'mon, take a seat," Adachi requested.

Souji took a seat across from the inebriated Adachi. He could smell the sake on Adachi's breath.

"They found Naoto-kun," Adachi told Souji, "Oh, uh, do you know who Naoto-kun is?" he asked, "He just up and vanished without a word, but it looks like he's back now. Way to put a scare into everyone… Sheesh."

"I'm relieved," Souji said, "I know Naoto-kun. Naoto goes to school with me."

"….," Dojima was thinking. He was suspicious, "You don't seem surprised. You didn't already know he was found, did you?" he asked

Adachi turned to Dojima, "Aww, you really oughtta do something about that habit of yours, Dojima-san. They go to the same school. Rumors spread fast here, y'know?"

"I heard it at school," Souji confirmed it.

"But man, why'd Naoto-kun disappear?" Adachi asked, "I guess he can be a little difficult… Maybe he got a little sulky after being given the boot and ran away from home? But I tell you, I was shocked to hear that he up and vanished like that. If there'd been a fourth kidnapping and murder, we'd be back to square one."

This didn't amuse Dojima, "Adachi…"

Adachi continued, "You know what sucks? We still don't have proof that the Kubo kid murdered anyone besides Mr. Morooka. How are we going to make a case out of this? I wonder if Dojima-san's instinct is right… Maybe there really is another perp out there. The real one."

"Duh, dipshit!" Souji said to himself.

Adachi was yelled at by Dojima who was quite angry, "Adachi! How many times do I have to say it!? Quit running your mouth like that!"

Adachi was apologetic, "Whoa! Sorry!"

Dojima switched his glare from Adachi to Souji, "Alright, see here!" Dojima stood up, "Don't worry about the case. Just study like a normal student," he threatened, "If you don't…" The fire went out of Dojima's eyes as he sighed, "I'm going to bed."

Adachi looked to Souji, "Sorry… I killed the mood there."

Souji shrugged like he didn't care. He didn't really care, as long as Dojima got off his back. He just wanted to solve the case.

"But yeah, I can totally see why Dojima-san is worried. Just leave the case to us police. You know the problems it would cause if something happened, right?" Adachi inquired, "Like if it happened that you were mixed up in it, we'd be really worried."

Souji nodded, "I get the idea." Inside, he had no intention of leaving it to them.

Nanako walked up to Souji and asked, "Are more scary things going to happen?"

Souji shook his head, "Don't worry, nothing bad is going to happen."

Adachi looked appalled, "N-No way, Nanako-chan! Everything's alright now! We caught the bad man, so no more scary things will happen. Right? Everything's just fine."

"Okay…," Nanako said, but she didn't seem satisfied. It would probably take some more reassurance from her big bro later.

"Anyways, your dad is just a worrywart," Adachi said, "Leave it to me! You might not know to look at me, but I've got the most brains in the police department!" He looked at Nanako, confused, "Oh! Was that too hard to understand?"

Nanako shook her head as Adachi stood up, "Well, now that Dojima-san is gone. I should get going. G'nite." Adachi left the two of them alone in the family room area.

Nanako asked Souji, "What does "got brains" mean?"

"It means he's smart," Souji responded.

"Huh… So things will be all right then?"

"Yeah…," Souji put up a false front. Nanako didn't believe it.

Souji and Nanako hung out together for a little while before they went to bed. Souji was happy to relax and lay on his futon.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

I own nothing, Atlus does.

This is where the story goes loopy for a while. Fortune goes crazy and starts early. The story goes from Naoto coming back and moving to just about the cusp of the Cultural Festival. One more evolution coming through this Chapter. Please don't shoot me for where the story is heading.

* * *

Souji woke up knowing that Naoto was safe. That was one less thing to worry about. He only had to worry about the real killer, the real kidnapper, and inebriated Adachi. When Souji got dressed up, he realized something. Letting Rion go ahead for the second time… Rion had not changed at all. He was just like he was at the beginning. Rion was still overprotective and overbearing. "How'd he even get his Persona?" Souji thought, "Is he living a lie, too?"

His first day after saving Naoto was a Thursday, and school seemed like a breeze after that.

Souji decided he would hang out with Yukiko, as a good boyfriend should. So, he made plans during lunch to meet up with Yukiko. Neither Nanako, nor Dojima would be home this evening, so it promised to be a good time. After school, Yukiko met Souji and left for Souji's house.

"Perfect…," Souji thought.

Rion was with Rise at the floodplains going over about Rise's return to show business when both of them saw Yukiko and Souji walking back to Souji's place. Rise had just gotten there, and she looked a little aghast.

"Do I want to know what's going on?" Rise rolled her eyes.

"Not really…," Rion answered, "I don't think Dojima is coming home today. I think Nanako is going to a friend's house. That's what I heard from Souji."

"I see… So that means," Rise just got a picture in her head of what would be going on and immediately went back two steps, "Ooh… disgusting."

Rion looked at her… wondering what Rise would do if she was in Yukiko's position. He put that thought out of his mind as well. It may have been even worse.

"So… what did you want to show me, and why did you have me bring my sax?" Rion asked. He had been asked for some help a few days before.

Rise handed him a CD, and some sheet music, "I'm composition class. I finally wrote a song that I got a halfway-decent grade on. But…."

"So… you want someone like me to try and be the accompanist?" Rion looked incredulous. He obviously knew of Rise's skill, and he knew he was about six billion steps below her on the totem pole, music-wise.

"If you would, Senpai…," Rise had her puppy-dog eyes out.

"Let me look at the sheet music… I'll see what you got," Rion took a look. It needed some work. He tried to make a few quick changes and started the song to the best of his ability. At least Rion was good at music theory. The best of his ability, playing-wise, wasn't that great compared to Rise. Unfortunately, it would have to do. He finished and looked relieved to be done with it. It was not easy.

"Thank you so much!" Rise exclaimed after he finished, "It was nice hearing someone else work with something I did."

"I hope you didn't mind me changing a few things…," Rion shrugged his shoulders.

Rise smiled, "No, no… I think it probably made it sound much better, Senpai."

"Can we try it again, with me singing?" Rise asked.

"Alright," Rion said as he picked up his saxophone, "Prepare for me to get blown out of the water."

Rise chuckled as they started the song.

As Nanako returned home, she returned to see that Souji was one very happy camper sitting on the couch.

"Hi Big bro!" she said as she came through the door.

"Hi Nanako," he responded.

"You look happy…," she said as she removed her shoes and sat down.

He smiled, "I am… What should we have to eat?"

"Umm… I don't know," Nanako said, "I'll see what's in the fridge." As Nanako opened the fridge, she turned around, "I'm glad you're happy, Big bro."

All Souji knew was that he was going to sleep well tonight.

He spent Friday hanging out with Rion, of all people, at Junes. He almost questioned why he'd been around Rise so much, but he didn't. He talked to Yukiko and hung out with her on Sunday when she called on Saturday night. Sunday night, he spent with Nanako-chan, and Dojima.

"Hey, Big bro!" Nanako exclaimed, "Since we're all together now, we should plan to do something some day."

Dojima came up behind Souji who was sitting across from Nanako, "Yeah that sounds like a good idea. Once I'm done with all this work, and you're done with your schoolwork, we can all go out on a trip."

"That sounds like fun," Souji said.

"Ooh…," Nanako had an idea, "Souji should ask his friends to come."

Dojima was thinking, "Maybe… we'll see."

The rest of the night was spent talking between the three about what they could do on this trip.

Monday, Souji somehow ended up talking to Kanji. Kanji had been making dolls for people, and was showing Souji. Somehow, Kanji had roped Souji into teaching him how to make oven mitts.

"Isn't this cool, Senpai?" Kanji inquired as they knitted.

"Sure…," Souji said a bit skeptically.

"It's cool that we get to hang out. First, I felt a bit out of place, but I feel like I finally fit in with you guys."

"I'm glad you feel that way, Kanji," Souji told him, "I'm sure it's also nice that you found out that Naoto is a girl."

Kanji blushed, "Hey… don't tell people about that."

"Alright, alright…," Souji said, "I'm just teasing you."

"But yeah, I'm glad…"

The pair kept knitting when something shone above Kanji. His black and white Persona changed into a flaming red one with a flame sword. It had turned into "Rokuten Maoh."

"This is my new power…," Kanji said, "Thanks, Senpai."

"Don't mention it…," Souji said as he kept knitting his oven mitt. The oven mitt didn't exactly look like anything you could stick your hand into.

He spent his days answering questions in school, getting answers from Rion, and spending time with Yukiko.

He also played basketball. Basketball, which was much more enjoyable in the past, didn't seem as fun as before. He'd rather be with Yukiko. It would suck when he would have plans, and she would have to leave to work at the Inn.

He dreaded Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. On the 2nd of October, he did get to see Yukiko. Yet, it wasn't with her exclusively. She was with Rise, Chie, and Kanji. Souji was only slightly put out. "Dammit!" he thought.

Souji used his time wisely before it was supposed to rain again. He got his answers off of Rion when Souji was called on. When that idiot, Kondo, asked how much we sweat off in daily use… He just mooched off Rion.

"What's the answer?" he asked.

Rion sighed, ".5 liters."

He answered, and was praised by the moron who didn't know PE or English.

The next day, the only normal looking teacher asked why ginkgo trees changed color. Yosuke asked Souji, who asked Rion. Rion told Yosuke that it was because the aging of the green pigment. When he got it right, he thanked both of them.

"Why'd he thank me?" Souji wondered, "It's not like I knew the answer."

Souji didn't bother paying attention in most of his classes, or study. He could just get it right just through by reading random books, or eating ramen. "Amazing, how that worked," he often wondered.

---

October 5th… Rion had an umbrella and he was walking to a large home/mansion with a gated entrance. He pressed the buzzer near the gate and waited for a response.

"Do you have an appointment?" the voice asked.

"No, I'm just here to check up on someone's condition…," Rion responded. He shook his head. "How did I get stuck with this job?" Rion pushed up his glasses and sighed.

The gate opened and Rion walked forward. Rion was met at the gate by a tall man in black. He was rather regal looking, and wore sunglasses, even in the rain.

"May I ask how you know Naoto-sama?" he asked. The man looked dangerous in his own right.

"I go to school with her. I'm checking up on her at the request of her classmates and myself," Rion said. He emphasized the "her".

"Oh…," the man said. If he was surprised by the fact that Rion knew Naoto's secret, he hid it well. The man then told Rion, "Well… she's doing much better, but I'm afraid she won't be back at school for another couple of days. Can you pass that along to them?"

"I understand… umm," Rion was trying to say goodbye.

"Yakushiji."

"Rion Ishinata."

"Goodbye, Yakushiji-san," Rion nodded.

"And you as well," Yakushiji nodded back.

As Rion left, "Well, that will not be awkward at all." He pushed up his glasses again.

---

It was raining on the 5th of October, and Souji had returned to his uncle's place after eating some ramen. The news was on as usual.

"And now the weather," the anchor lady said, "The week ended on a wet note as rain clouds moved into area. As a result, a thick fog is expected to form in the Inaba region later tonight."

"I guess I better check out the Midnight Channel," Souji thought to himself, "Yay for yellow screens."

He hung out with Nanako for a little while, made sure she went to bed at a normal hour, and went up himself to make sure it was raining. As Midnight approached and passed, the yellow, splotchy screen came on. Nobody was on the TV. It seemed that it was safe.

---

In the shopping district,

"Again… Dammit!" a voice yelled.

---

The day came when Naoto would return to school. They would meet the "girl" detective at school to see how she was doing.

When the older group were walking up to school: Yosuke, Chie, Souji, and Rion; they noticed Naoto coming up to them. They met at the school gates with Naoto at the gateway.

"Are you feeling better now?" Chie asked.

"Yes, thanks to all of you," Naoto replied with a hand gesture, "I'd like to thank you once again for what happened."

Yosuke shook his head, "Don't mention it," he looked at the girl, "But hey, your uniform…"

Naoto looked a little taken aback, "Huh? Ah… yes. After contemplating the matter, I went with what I've been wearing thus far. There's no need for you to…"

"Still shy as none other…," Rion muttered. Naoto looked at Rion funny.

Two boys came walking past the school gates.

"Hey, it's the Detective Prince," one said.

The other one said, "That's no Prince. I heard "he's" a she."

The first was a bit shocked, "Huh!? You serious? If he's a she, then uh… oh crap!"

Two girls had walked up behind the two boys.

A blue-haired girl said, "Aww… I'm kinda disappointed, but then again, there's something neat about it."

The other, brown-haired girl responded, "Yeah… If you look at it a certain way, doesn't she seem pretty cool?"

The group rolled their eyes in unison. Rion fought back an urge to laugh again. Souji hit him on the shoulder when he noticed. "He has issues," Souji thought.

"My, my… Rumors spread so quickly," Naoto muttered.

"Get used to it…," Souji said, "It happened to everyone. But… we're on your side."

Naoto blushed, "Thanks. But it doesn't bother me at all. There's no need to worry on my behalf. So please treat me as you did before."

Rion looked at her with an eyebrow raised, and Naoto responded to his look, "Except you…"

"As you wish…," he said in his typical monotone voice. He was thinking, "No way in hell am I doing that Princess."

Naoto got back to her detective mode as she said, "That aside, I'd like to discuss the case with you all. We're dealing with a kidnap-and-murder case perpetrated by someone lurking in this very town. And it isn't over yet." When Souji, Yosuke, and Chie seemed a little confused, "Let's go over the finer points after school."

"We'll all meet up after school then," Souji said.

"Alright," Yosuke said.

The group went off to the boring and monotonous classes where Kashiwagi ranted about Kujikawa. Rion fell asleep again, and Souji joined him shortly after. After school, they met up at the Junes food court as Naoto asked.

Naoto took a spot between Teddie and Yukiko, while Kanji, Rise, and Rion were all standing. The little table of their headquarters was getting crowded. "We can't take anymore, if you're asking me," Souji thought, "Though what kind of Personas and Shadows would come out next?"

Naoto started the conversation of how she was kidnapped, "First, I heard the doorbell ring. But when I opened the front door, I saw no one there… Just as alarm bells sounded in my mind, someone grabbed me roughly from behind and covered my mouth with something. Immediately afterward, I was put into something like a sack and most likely carried on the culprit's shoulder."

"Wow, how could you remember all that?" Rise asked. She seemed surprised considering the memory loss suffered by most of the kidnap victims thrown in the TV.

"The culprit seems to have used a chemical to incapacitate me, but luckily I wasn't completely unconscious," Naoto responded.

Rion looked at them and explained, "Chloroform… If not properly used, or the proper kind, will not cause immediate incapacitation of the victim."

"I had been expecting a trick along those lines, so I was somewhat prepared," Naoto continued after Rion's explanation, "And of course, I was desperate to gather as much information as I could."

"No wonder you're an ace detective…," Teddie seemed in awe.

Kanji looked at her, "That ain't something to be proud of. You are too damn calm about all of this."

Souji nodded as Naoto continued, "Judging by their actions and body type, I'd say the culprit is definitely a man. I heard no conversations or voices, so I believe he is acting alone. It's after that that things get murky. I felt a single impact, which I assume is when I was thrown inside the TV. But the time of kidnapping to that point seemed too short… It was a matter of minutes."

"So you were immediately thrown inside the TV after being kidnapped?" Chie asked.

"Does that mean there was a TV on site?" Souji asked.

Naoto shrugged her shoulders, "Regrettably, my memory from there on is a blur."

"I see…," Yosuke then exclaimed, "The killer came up to the door and rang the bell? That's just crazy!"

"The culprit seemed to have done that almost every time," Souji responded.

Naoto told the group, "I finally understand why you all testified that you couldn't recall much of what happened. Such a bizarre experience, with mental and physical fatigue on top of it… It's only natural to be confused. As Souji said, going by the surrounding circumstances, my kidnapping and everyone else's were near identical… There is no question that the culprit is the same in each case."

"So… that Mitsuo boy, who said he killed King Moron…," Chie was saying.

The detective put forth, "Everything makes sense now. I can't make sure until I gather more concrete evidence. But Mitsuo's Kubo only victim was Mr. Morooka. It was a copycat killing that mimicked the true culprit's method."

"No wonder King Moron's death broke the pattern in so many ways!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"The question remains, though, as to how Kubo learned of that world," Naoto wondered

Rion rolled his eyes. He was thinking, "Maybe he didn't learn of his world on his own. He learned the hard way."

"That's it! That's what's been bothering me!" Chie told Naoto, "Mitsuo could enter the TV, right? Then why didn't he kill King Moron that way?"

"I believe he didn't understand the other world as well as the true culprit," Naoto responded to Chie, "Even though I can now enter it myself, it wouldn't occur to me to use it for murder. And remember, the previous corpses left no sign that their deaths had anything to do with the other world. After Kubo became wanted, leaving him with nowhere left to run, he probably thought for the first time… "What if I put my entire body into the TV?" The bizarre condition of the corpses that caused such a commotion is probably because they died on the other side. It's a simpler explanation than figuring out why the killer would risk disposing of the bodies in such a way. Which means their inexplicable condition of being hung on a foggy day wasn't due to the culprit making a statement. Much of our speculation could be tested if we asked Kubo in person. However… I've unfortunately been taken off the investigation."

"Someone's been too nosy," Rion said almost jokingly as Naoto glared at him. Then it was Kanji's turn to glare at him. Rion just chuckled.

"Is it Rion's whole purpose to be an ass to Naoto?" Souji thought.

Naoto regained her composure, "Even if we did get a chance, I highly doubt the police would believe any of this."

"They wouldn't admit it wasn't Kubo in the first place," Rise said, "Once you've said something on TV, it's not easy to admit you were wrong."

"They want this closed as fast as possible," Souji nodded.

"I believe the primary cause of my dismissal was because I raised that possibility to them," Naoto told them, "The police won't readily concede that they made false charges. All the more so if the convicted is a juvenile. In fact, the overwhelming sentiment within the police force is to end this case with his arrest."

Most of the group looked shocked; Souji and Rion rolled their eyes. "He's insane, remember," Rion said.

"Even if it's possible that there is another killer?" Chie asked.

Kanji muttered, "Those dickheads… I had a feeling that would be the case. Not that I trusted them in the first place."

Yosuke asked, "Hey Naoto… If you were that calm when you were kidnapped… Couldn't you have umm..? Couldn't you have at least escaped?"

Naoto looked distressed, "Umm… To tell you the truth, I was really scared. I'm sorry."

"It can't be helped…," Yukiko told her, "None of us could resist the culprit, either. Don't forget, Naoto-kun is younger than us, and she's a girl."

"Well… At least you did better than Kanji…," Rion rolled his eyes, "He's much bigger and he was captured with even more ease." Kanji glared at him. He didn't like being made a fool of. Souji thought it was because it was in front of Naoto.

Yosuke responded to Yukiko's comment, "Oh yeah, that's true… I keep forgetting when I see her talking like this." Yosuke looked at Naoto and said, "You know Naoto?"

"What is it?" as she raised her head, which was previously down in shame.

Yosuke said, "You've got balls, for a girl."

Naoto started to blush, and Chie hit him on the head, "Dumbass…," she muttered.

"Regardless…," she said as red rose on her cheeks, "I have no doubt that the culprit will continue with his attacks. We can only watch and wait for him to make the next move. But this is no longer a mere job, or someone else's affair. I want to know the truth on why we were targeted." She looked at the group surrounding her, "Please allow me to join your effort."

"Of course… Like we wouldn't let you," Souji said.

"Thank you very much," She sounds grateful, "I'll do my best, Souji."

Everyone turned to Teddie as he started talking, "Since I'm the King of the Geniuses, I knew it would turn out this way. Ta-da! Nao-chan's glasses!" Teddie pulled out a pair of dark-blue glasses.

"Wait, you're a genius?" Souji asked, and Teddie put his head down.

"Thank you…," Naoto said tentatively as she took them. She smiled and said, "They told me about you Teddie. I can sympathize with your drive to find yourself. If I may help in any way, let me know."

Teddie looked happy, "Wow… What a nice girl!"

As the group was about to leave to head out for the day, Souji went over and whispered to Naoto, "Thanks for joining."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"We need more smart people here," Souji said.

"Smart people?" Naoto was confused.

"Most of the time, we get endless drabble from Yosuke, nonstop talk about modeling from Rise, repeated stuff from Chie, Kanji's beyond hopeless, and Teddie. Chie will give us a brilliant answer once in a blue moon and that's about it."

"What about Yukiko?" Naoto asked, "She's your girlfriend."

"She's smart, but when she starts laughing or when she's around Chie, umm… yeah. Oh, and I distract her."

"So, who is smart?" Naoto wondered.

"Basically, we count on Rion," Souji told him, "But you have to get him to talk."

"What do you mean get him to talk?" Naoto asked, "And Rion's a moron!"

"Unless he has a reason, or is driven to, he won't talk," Souji said. He thought for a second, "Oh yeah, when he's around you. He talks a bit. But it usually isn't about the case." He chuckled at that, "Oh, he's not a moron, trust me on this."

"I think this is an important enough matter of him to talk, or give his opinion," Naoto said, "But about Rion's mode of conversation around me, I'll deal with that as I see fit."

"He'll let everyone else give out their ideas, no matter how stupid they are, first. With Yosuke, we'll never get a chance to talk," Souji said frankly, "So you better get used to it."

With that Souji said goodbye to leave. Naoto watched and observed how the different people left and reacted. Yukiko was with Souji. Teddie left with Yosuke. Chie and Kanji went home alone, but Chie was pretty close to Yosuke, it seemed. Kanji did seem to have an urge to stay around, but he didn't. Rise was trailing along, and talking to Rion. It gave Naoto a lot to think about, at the very least.

Souji left to go to Dojima's house and to make dinner after dropping Yukiko off at the bus station. He didn't feel like waiting for Dojima to make coffee either, so he made it himself.

The next day, around the end of the day, Naoto came into their classroom. The 2nd years looked slightly surprised.

"Excuse me," Naoto said to bring attention to herself. The group turned their heads as Naoto walked towards them. Souji was talking to Yukiko, and Chie was talking to Yosuke.

"I wonder why she came here." Souji wondered to himself.

Naoto asked as she came next to Chie, "Do you have time after school today?"

"Did something happen?" Chie asked.

Naoto answered, "No… Rather, I'd like to have a doctor examine Teddie."

"A doctor?" Yosuke asked, confused.

"You mean a vet?" Yukiko joked.

Souji laughed.

Naoto sweat-dropped, "The normal kind, actually. If you are free, I've scheduled a check-up for him after school today. A thorough physical examination might be a good first step in figuring out what Teddie is."

"Couldn't hurt, I guess," Souji said.

"And I thought it might be a good idea for the rest of us to get checkups as well," Naoto insisted.

"Why?" Souji asked.

"We should see if the fog over there or the powers we've gained have had any negative effects on our health. Since you've all been active on the other side far longer than I have, you should definitely be examined."

Rion opened his eyes as he adjusted his glasses. No one was sure if he even paying attention before that, "I guess you want us to see if we were irradiated by the fog, or something of that nature. See if we are growing a third arm, or eye in the near future."

Souji fought back an urge to laugh. You could tell he was secretly joking and yanking Naoto's chain. He felt that this whole thing would be pointless.

Naoto looked a little uneasy at Rion's comments. She seriously doubted that they would grow third arms.

Yosuke, looking at both of them, said, "Negative effects! D-don't drop scary stuff on us like it's nothing. Yeah, but I never even thought about that."

"I doubt we are anything but normal still," Rion told Yosuke, "Unless it's from high grade radiation like PU-238, it'd take a while for us to turn into scary monsters."

Now everything was looking Rion like he was crazy, and he had grown the third arm he was mentioning early.

"Anyways," Naoto continued, "I've arranged to have Kanji-kun and Rise-san looked at as well."

Chie looked at her with respect, "Wow, you're on the ball about all this… Are you sure you're not an adult?"

Yosuke teased, "Her height's a big giveaway though."

"Nice, Yosuke…," Souji thought.

"That isn't very nice," Naoto said, obviously annoyed, but she said, "Well... I'll see you all after school."

After school, they headed to the Inaba's only real hospital. Souji had worked their part-time, until he got himself fired for kicking a nurse's ass who tried to feel her up. "Good times," Souji thought as he made his way there, "I got a hell of a lot of hush-up money for that."

He thought Rion worked here though. Souji and the others were prodded, tested, measured, and run through their paces at the request of the doctors. "Why the hell are we doing this again?" Souji wondered, "Oh yeah… they think we are going to go crazy or something…" Souji flexed his third arm that was growing out of his chest.

Everyone but Naoto and Teddie had met in a hallway outside some of the examination rooms after they were finished being prodded and given more radiation than the fog ever gave them. That's what an X-Ray does, after all.

"That was just an ordinary checkup," Yosuke admitted.

Kanji seemed disappointed, "I was kinda looking forward to getting into some gigantic machine and being spun around."

"You mean you weren't?" Souji said jokingly, drawing looks.

"Was there really a point to this?" Rise asked, "The doctors looked confused too…"

"I've already had a physical this year," Rion said, "They didn't understand why I needed another cardio "running" test, another six X-Rays, more measurements, and so on."

Yukiko noticed that Naoto and Teddie were returning, "Oh, they're back."

Naoto looked apologetic, "I'm very sorry for the wait."

Teddie joked, "I'm beary sorry for the wait."

"So, what did they find out about our furry friend here?" Souji asked.

Naoto told the group, "They did indeed… They found out that they can't find out anything about him."

"That's not really what I expected to hear," Souji said as the group looked confused.

"I even had them take an X-Ray, but nothing came up on it," Naoto explained, "No matter how many times they tried, it would always be too blurry to read."

"So… They found there was nothing inside him…," Rion muttered.

"A visual examination and standard palpitations indicated that he seems perfectly normal. Since the machine could be malfunctioning, they told me to try another hospital if we're still worried about him."

Naoto looked sad, "I felt bad for making the doctors go through all this."

"So, he is different…," Yukiko said.

"So… we know he can pee, and see, but we can't find anything else inside of him…," Rion said. The group rolled their eyes at him.

Teddie was unsure, "Oh my… what should I do? They took a look at everything inside of me." Souji rolled his eyes at the bear thingy.

Chie assured him, "She just said they couldn't find anything on the X-Ray, you dork."

"But at least they didn't find anything wrong with him, right?" Kanji asked, "Man, we know at least as much about Teddie as we do about those Personas and Shadows…"

"Oh yeah…," Yosuke said, "I tried looking them up on the library and the net…"

"You did research?" Souji thought to himself, bewildered. Yosuke did something outside of school related to knowledge.

"Persona means something like, another personality. And I think they listed "Shadow" under related terms," Yosuke continued.

"Shadows are Shadows… I think they're what come out of people," Teddie explained, "Um… I can't really explain."

"I performed my own research after the incident. "Persona" and "Shadow" are common psychological terms. Of course, the ones we are familiar with don't quite fit those definitions. This is what was written in an unofficial project document that I happened to come across. A Shadow is suppressed power, and when it is controlled by one's ego, it becomes a Persona," Naoto explained.

"It becomes a Persona?" Kanji looked confused, "What, does that mean they're basically the same thing?"

Rion explained in his normal, low, and monotone voice, "A Persona is another personality of ourselves… That would be a facet, or another side of your personality. Like a diamond, many sides that we show ourselves… Just like a Shadow is a facet that we are unwilling to accept that we've come across. When we accept that "Shadow", it in sense becomes our Persona. Alike, but not quite the same thing."

Kanji nodded, "You're right. All those Shadows we beat the shit out of did become our Personas… Ahh, who cares about the details… It doesn't matter what they are. If they get in our way, I'll crush them."

"Well put…," Souji said. He did think, "Rion, Naoto, and even Yosuke really did their work. But, I don't think Rion researched… He just pulled that out of his ass."

Naoto looked deflated, "Still… I couldn't find any information on how they're related to the other world."

Rise sighed, "There's so much stuff about us that we don't have a clue about."

Teddie smirked as he said, "There are some things we do know, though."

The group suddenly looked uneasy at Teddie's comment. Souji thought, "I'm going to either really like this, or not like this at all."

"Hmhmm… I got a bunch of awesome data with me," Teddie said.

Now the group looked really confused, and really uneasy. "I don't know how to feel," Souji thought.

Rion thought," Oh dear… But…," He suddenly smirked.

Teddie said, "It's kinda embarrassing that I'm the only one who had personal details shown to the world, so…,"

"Oh shit!" Souji thought as Teddie pulled papers out. Papers that had everyone's results, "This is crazy…"

"Tadaa!" As Teddie pulled out the papers, "Nowadays, information wants to be free," Teddie explained, "Therefore, I'll break the ice by announcing the results of everyone's physical examinations."

Chie was astounded, and ready to kill, "Wha!? No you won't! Give 'em to me, Now!"

Teddie began, "First place in the "shortest legs division" is… Huh? Who woulda guessed?"

Before Teddie announced, Yosuke butted in, "It's not me is it? Hey, what kinda things did they examine anyways?"

"It's Chie…," Rion said plainly.

"How did you know?" Teddie asked, looking in shock, "Have you seen her legs?"

"No, proportionately, she just has short legs," Rion explained.

"You're going to die, Rion," Chie advanced towards Rion. Rion backed away in supposed fright, and Souji knew it was a bad to come near Chie right now. She had readied her supposedly "short legs" for a "Galactic Punt"

Yosuke came up with a great idea, "Hey, if you're gonna blab it all, you might as well tell us all of the girls' measurements!"

This did not go over well with the girls.

Chie responded first. She had turned away from Rion and yelled at Yosuke, "WHAT!? Are you a complete and utter moron!?" This was not her day.

Rise didn't really seem phased by Yosuke's comments, "Sure, go right ahead. My profile's been public knowledge for ages. Oh, but my bust size is 2cm smaller then they print. The agency insisted."

"No! Don't say mine!" Yukiko was adamantly against the idea of everyone hearing her measurements.

"No, tell us!" Souji was thinking.

Rise assuaged Yukiko, "Aww, I bet guys won't care what size you are, Senpai. And having modestly sized breasts like yours would definitely make it easier to wear a kimono."

Yukiko was astounded and blushing at the same time, "What!?"

Rise had taken the papers and was looking them over, "Oh yeah, Naoto-kun's is in here too, huh? Umm… let's see… Naoto-kun's is…"

Something had shocked Rise, "Is this… for real? Wait, isn't this measured wrong?"

Rion had started chuckling. "She was hiding a lot it seems. I figured as much," Rion thought to himself, "No wonder she slapped me."

Naoto had realized what had taken place and walked up and taken the papers away, blushing, "Anyways!" She looked at them, trying to stop Rion from laughing any harder than he was. She was failing, "The important thing is that according to the examination results, nothing's wrong with our health!" Naoto had a fierce tone in her voice as she put forth, "So we won't be needing these anymore! I'm going to go shred them!" Naoto walked off to get rid of the results as Rion continued to laugh. The rest of them could only stare as Kanji looked incredulous.

"You mean you didn't know?" Rion smirked, "Naoto hides just about everything."

"What's with Rion?" Souji asked.

"What is with Rion?" Kanji asked, "Is there something I'm missing?"

Yosuke changed the subject, "Uhh… Well thank goodness everyone's healthy!"

"You're right, let's go home," Chie tried to rush everyone out of there. Chie hit Rion on the shoulder on the way out.

As they were leaving, Souji was left with Teddie all alone.

"After all that, they found out nothing about me…," Teddie looked depressed, "I wonder what I really am."

"You know we'll find out together, right?" Souji reassured the bear-human.

"Yeah… Thanks, Sensei!" Teddie looked a little happier.

As they were dawdling, Yosuke yelled, "Hey! If you don't hurry, we're gonna leave you guys behind!"

At the Dojima household: Dojima, Nanako, and Souji all talked and drank coffee together until bedtime. This did result in Souji not being able to fall asleep until 3am, but he had a bonding experience.

Souji ran into Naoto the next day on the way to school near the gates. Naoto told Souji something, "I'm not in the mood to do schoolwork or studying at all, especially with the kidnapper loose."

"Neither am I," Souji responded, "I'd rather just find our culprit and be done with it."

"Well, I guess we just have to wait and see," Naoto told him.

(I'm jumping the pseudo Fortune-Link by about 2 weeks.)

Souji got a question in his English class by the PE teacher that day. It was a question about Predicate Nominatives. "Mr. Kondo is a super awesome teacher," Souji answered that "teacher" is the PN, and he was praised. Souji was happy, and he felt smarter.

Souji promised that he would study with Yukiko later on today, but he went out for a breath of fresh air first in the shopping district, even if it was raining.

A man in a black suit gestured over to him holding an umbrella over his head. He looked at Souji as he came over and stuck his hands in his pockets. As soon as Souji got there, the man in black started blabbing questions at Souji like nobody's business. He was testing to see how smart Souji was. Souji kind of wished Rion was here to help him, but he buckled down and started answering all the crap this guy was spewing out. He thanked god for all the ramen he had even eaten in his life. When Souji was finished answering the spiel, the man seemed satisfied.

"I see, I see… You are quite an interesting young man," the man said.

"Okay…," Souji thought.

The man continued, "Do you know Naoto-sama… Oh, er…" The man suddenly became flustered.

"Now… he's turning creepy...," Souji thought, "Naoto-sama?"

"You know a detective by the name of Naoto Shirogane, correct?" the man in black asked.

"I do know him," Souji told him. "I know lots about Naoto. We know Naoto's weaknesses," Souji thought.

"Yes, I know you know him," the man said.

"That is creepy," Souji thought, "Can you get any creepier?"'

"Deliver this to him. He will understand," the man said.

"Umm…," Souji didn't really feel like doing this. He needed to get back to Yukiko. He promised he would study with her. At that moment, Rion was passing by, not even carrying an umbrella. He was headed back to his place, it seemed. Souji flagged him down.

"Oh… Rion!" Souji yelled.

"What?" Rion asked.

"Can you handle this?" he pointed to the man in black.

Rion sighed, "Whatever…"

"I have to go, mister whoever you are," he started walking away, but as he left he turned and told the man, "This guy is much smarter than me, and knows Naoto as you know already, I'm sure."

Souji rushed back to the school. He was late in meeting Yukiko. He ran up to the second-floor and ran to the library. As he entered, he saw Yukiko waiting for him at the table.

"You're late…," Yukiko muttered.

"I was held up by someone," Souji told him in an apologizing tone.

Yukiko told him, "It's okay… We'll make it up later… You'll make it up for me."

Souji smiled as they got to studying. He was out of the fire after all.

---

Rion walked over to the man in black. The man in black stared at him, like he was judging the value of a horse. Rion had his hands in his sweatshirt pockets, and had a disinterested look on his face. He seemed like he didn't really care.

Rion broke the ice, "Hello, Yakushiji-san."

The man in black was only slightly surprised, "So… you do remember me, Mr. Ishinata"

"Of course I do," Rion told him, "You were there when I asked if Naoto was recovering."

"I had told you that Naoto is getting better and to tell them so," Yakushiji said.

Rion nodded, "So, you want me to deliver this card?" as Yakushiji nodded, "So, are we playing a game?"

"A game… In a sense, yes," the secretary said.

"You want me to make Naoto realize who she really is and was? You don't make this easy, do you?" Rion asked.

Yakushiji chuckled, "You catch on rather quickly. But can you help?"

"I guess, but I will have to put my own twist on the plan."

Yakushiji looked confused, "What do you mean? Do you even know what I'm planning on doing?"

"I have an idea… I guess I'm just a pawn too. I have something I want Naoto to realize as well," Rion shrugged his shoulders.

"Just be careful not to hurt Naoto-sama," Yakushiji said as he handed over the card. Rion walked away from the North District and towards the Shrine. He was eventually headed back towards Yasogami.

"I promise nothing, Yakushiji," Rion said to himself, "Whatever happens, it's all up to her actions."

Naoto wasn't really doing anything in particular. She didn't really feel like studying today. She didn't really need to either. The subjects that would be covered weren't difficult, nor the formulas needed to solve them. Being a 1st year was boring to her. It was times like these; she wished she could grow up faster. "I'd rather be searching for our killer," she muttered.

She soon decided it was a waste of time to be here at the school when she could be re-evaluating what the group had already found. Before Naoto could reach the exit of the school, she had run into the person she did not want into… Rion, who had returned, only slightly soaked.

"Uhh… Rion?" Naoto looked at the wet individual who had tormented her many times in the past. She spoke her words in utter confusion on why he wasn't prepared for onslaught of inclement weather, "I believe you are drenched."

"That is a brilliant deduction, Naoto," Rion told her mockingly. Rion brushed back his hair to wipe off a few drops of rains from his face.

"I'd like to thank you again… for helping to save me," Naoto said almost shyly.

Rion looked at her slanting his eyes, "I did not lead the expedition, so am I the one you should be thanking?"

"You may be right," She was taken aback by his honesty, but continued, "I apologize, but I have something I want to think about." She was again thinking about leaving for her home to go over the clues she had gathered. Really, he was not the person she wanted to see at the moment.

Rion decided it was time to start the game Yakushiji had asked him to play. He was a pawn for this game, but he would get to pull the strings as well. It was time to make her the puppet for Yakushiji.

Rion handed Naoto the thick card given to him by the man in black. "I have something for you," Rion told her.

"What's this?" Naoto asked.

"It's a card, obviously," Rion rolled his eyes; "It was given to me by a man in black. He said you would understand." Rion thought to himself. "That sounds suspicious, doesn't it?"

"He said I'd understand?" Naoto sounded confused, "What's that supposed to mean?" Naoto thought to herself, "At least he's being serious, but what is this?"

Rion shrugged his shoulders, "How would I know? I am but a messenger boy, am I not?"

Naoto was thinking before she said, "Excuse me, but could you accompany me for a brief period? I'd like to hear more about what transpired when you were given this card. Please… it won't take long."

Rion held his hands in his pockets before he sighed, "I guess… I don't feel like studying either. It's not like 3rd year subjects interest me." Rion couldn't really tell about that he knew the man in black, or that Souji was the first person the man contacted, not even the fact that he's playing this game as well.

Naoto ended up dragging Rion along to the benches in Samegawa. It was where Rion sometimes met Rise to work on her self-confidence. Luckily, they weren't meeting today. Rion wondered if that might have caused some strife between them. He shook his head, there was far too much stuff going on.

The pair were sitting across from each other and Naoto started off, "I apologize. I wanted to talk someplace quiet. I wanted to know what sort of man gave this to you."

"A man who knew I knew you, Naoto," Rion said. "I hope he knew you," Rion thought, "He works for you and your grandfather."

"He knew that you knew me? He must have known you well." Naoto looked at him, "He wouldn't have entrusted his delivery to anyone he didn't know." Naoto started thinking seriously.

"That is a possibility," Rion tried to look conspicuous.

"But this is a small town… He could have easily looked up my address," Naoto also conjectured.

"That is also a possibility," Rion suggested. Rion rolled his eyes

"I wonder why he bothered to go to the trouble of giving the letter to you. That is interesting," Naoto was pondering, "Is he involved with our case? Or another case altogether? If it's me he's after, he could be anyone."

"I don't think we have enough to go on here," Rion said.

Naoto looked annoyed at the lack of information, "Oh, I'll keep the card. The man is most likely still in Inaba. I cannot drag you further into this."

Rion looked at Naoto with a conspicuous smile, "I can't really back out. I am the one who gave it to you."

"Huh?" Naoto's voice almost raised by a half-step and Rion smiled on the inside. Naoto continued, "Er, well… It's good to know you're worried about me, but…" Naoto was thinking.

"I really don't trust you to be honest anyways," Rion told her plainly, "I don't want to have to come chasing after you. We kind of need you if we want to solve our big case," Rion said plainly. He closed his eyes and rolled his eyes inwardly, "I don't like lying and playing with people's feelings," he thought.

Naoto was really shocked after hearing that, "I apologize, I seem to have a tin ear for other people's feelings… Yosuke-san told me so before. I'll look into this card and report my findings to you. So… don't worry about me. I was told you are the other "brains" of the group." Naoto thought, "Though I don't trust you either."

Rion shrugged his shoulders, "Alright… if anything comes up."

"Oh… while I managed to get you out in the open for once, can we talk?" Naoto asked.

"About?" Rion responded.

"Why you don't share your opinions?" Naoto inquired, "Souji told me you understand more of what's going on then anyone else."

"Do you trust me?" Rion looked at her sideways. When he saw Naoto's look, "I guess you don't."

"I'd like to able to," Naoto said.

"I'd rather let everyone else say what they think before I say my share," Rion told her. He then said, "Besides, do you think you could a word in edgewise with Yosuke talking?"

Naoto chuckled but then got serious, "Though I understand, if you have a plausible opinion that is logical, wouldn't it be wise to interrupt and discuss it?"

"In some cases, yes," Rion shrugged his shoulders, "But it is also worthwhile to hear everything first, before letting the fool speak."

Naoto sighed. She didn't think she was getting anywhere with him.

"So, is there something you wish to ask?" Naoto looked at the young man.

You'd almost think Rion would break out of his composure and laugh, but he stayed in his rigid mode and said, "What wouldn't I ask about?"

"Well… start on something," Naoto said.

"I guess the quintessential question is… Why do you still hide everything, and why are you so afraid?" Rion put his question forward. "I probably should not have started with that," Rion thought, "She's not going to answer."

"That was rather blunt. I don't think I can answer that right now," Rion could see that Naoto was rather troubled by his question.

"I knew that," Rion said.

"Then why did you ask?" Naoto asked as she sighed.

"It doesn't matter," Rion shrugged as he rolled his eyes, "Okay, I'll ask about other things."

The topics soon changed to food and other mundane subjects. The one important subject that was talked about was the murder case, which was lively with both Rion and Naoto sharing their thoughts about the killer. Naoto thought it was nice to share a good intellectual conversation about the murder. She'd invite Souji the next time, and the three would figure out the killer in no time at all.

Souji got home after studying. It was another lively, "Welcome home, Big bro!" from Nanako and some reading time from a book about some loser teacher who was a wimp.

Souji thought a lot of teachers sucked in general, and he wanted a good one for once. He had a few days off from school. Sunday was an obvious one, but also Monday was a holiday as well.

He spent Sunday hanging out Yosuke and Teddie at fall air, the changing leaves, and constricting metal chairs called for a great time. It would be except for Teddie trying to think of ways to pick up Naoto, Chie, or Rise. He even felt Yosuke getting slightly annoyed by all this. He was sure Kanji would be too if he saw Teddie trying to pick up Naoto.

He was thinking to himself again, "Maybe Yosuke likes Chie, or… does he still think Rise is a cutie pie?" Then again, Rion spends more time around Rise then anyone else, and Yosuke hasn't said anything, so Souji wasn't sure. Anyways, Rion spends more time around Rise then anyone other girl. Souji was deep in thought. Well, deeper in thought than the fur ball and the person who loves to talk.

Monday, Souji spent his day where he was supposed to. He was with Yukiko. Where did he spend his day with Yukiko? In his room, thank you very much.

"I'm having a good time," Yukiko said. She was currently nestled under his shoulder, sitting on his couch.

"I'm glad," Souji responded.

Yes, it was a good day.

As Souji trudged his way back to school, Souji ran into Chie. Chie had formed a study group. Souji was kind of annoyed as he thought, "Well, we know Chie and Yosuke will only bicker. Teddie will come and won't have anything to study. Rion sits in our class, but studies 3rd year courses. He's probably still bored. Naoto will be bored too and will bicker with Rion. Rise and Kanji are hopeless at studying. At least Yukiko will be there. I can study with her. Knowing Chie and Yukiko, they'll bring Nanako along, and I'll have someone else to talk to."

During class, the crazy ass history teacher whose head was slowly being suffocated by her headdress asked him what feature demeaned Louis XIV. Souji answered it, "His height." Souji felt special.

Oddly enough, the teacher must have been high, because she also called on Rion for a question. Rion was sleeping during class. He was probably bored shitless because he probably knew everything in the 2nd year courses.

The question was, who were the monarchs killed in the French Revolution? Rion didn't even open his eyes, "Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette." Rion promptly fell back asleep, but not before saying, "They also murdered the leader who had orchestrated the first part of the French Revolution, Robespierre."

Souji was sure now; Rion was the biggest smart-ass ever. Souji wasn't sure if he took any of his studies seriously. By the look of it, Rion didn't care. The only time Rion really got into it was in the TV. There, he was cool, relaxed, and could be as angry as hell. Souji was the commander and leader, but Rion was the field general. Souji would learn the weaknesses and resistances as they happened, but Rion almost always knew beforehand. As Souji would tell them what to do, Rion made it happen.

---

Rion's days off were a little different.

On the days he had no chances to play the game; he spent his time working with Rise's self-esteem problems. Rise's issues were dissipating, but she still needed to stand up to people in real-life. Yet, Rion had two days to work on it.

"I think I've finally figured out how to stand up to everyone now," Rise said proudly.

They were at the shrine. Rise was standing with her back to the shrine, while Rion was in front of her. Rion didn't seem to be quite as confident as her at her chances of dealing with her malcontents.

"Actually, I have a few reservations," Rion told her his feelings.

Rise looked disappointed, "What's that, Senpai?"

"I'm just not sure if you can handle the various kinds of people that may challenge you, Rise-chan," Rion told her.

Rise thought to herself, "What does he mean? He's calling me Rise-chan? Only Teddie calls me that, and he just does that to try and pick me up. Teddie's just silly." She decided to say, "What kind of people?"

"I'm not just talking about directors and producers. I'm talking about paparazzi. I'm talking about fan boys and fan girls. I'm talking about fellow idols that might try undermining you," Rion was getting serious, "People like Kanami, which see you returning as a threat to their position."

"Rion… do you think it's that bad?" Rise asked.

"I think we still have a lot of work to do," Rion told her straight out.

"Well… I guess so…," Rise said. She sounds a little skeptical as they began working.

That day and the next were spent on that as Rion headed to Junes for the study session. He brought a few of his 3rd year textbooks. He didn't know why the stupid ass teacher called on him in the 2nd year classes. It was pointless really. He had basically skipped a grade. He used his class time to sleep. He didn't work all night for nothing. He couldn't wait to just get this stupid entrance exam over with. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be for a while. He would have to settle with helping the others, and not falling asleep during this exam.

Teddie and Nanako were already at their study table when the 2nd years arrived. They were talking as Chie came up to them, "Oh, Hi Nanako-chan, hi Teddie!"

Teddie replied, "Hey, greetings to you!"

Nanako also replied, "Greetings to you."

"Oh my god, Teddie has brainwashed my cousin," Souji thought in horror, "He's a pedobear!"

Yukiko didn't seem to be fazed like Souji, "It looks like you're having fun."

"You do seem like you are enjoying yourself," Rion said. However, he was thinking, "Freakin' bear. He's creepy."

Kanji was next to arrive, "Yo!" he announced himself as he came up.

Naoto and Rise came up to surround the group as Rise said, "Wow, everyone's here!"

Nanako seemed happy, "So many people!"

They all got down to studying. Rise was sitting next to Kanji. They were next to Chie and Yosuke. Yukiko and Souji were flanked by Naoto and Teddie. Rion was sitting next to Naoto. Teddie was sitting next to his Sensei, while Nanako was sitting next to Yosuke.

"Why did everyone come here?" Teddie asked. He seemed perplexed by the mass amount of people. They weren't going into the TV, not with Nanako here.

Yosuke didn't seem too happy when he said, "Exam Study Group!" He sighed, "Times like these, I'm jealous of Teddie."

"Exams?" Teddie looked confused.

"Exams are things that test your knowledge that you supposedly learned in school," Rion told him.

"I think everyone is jealous of Teddie," Souji said, while thinking, "Except Rion…"

Yukiko tried to raise Yosuke's spirits, "Come on now! Let's start with proving the trigonometric identities."

Chie looked dismayed as she said, "Argh… Jumping straight into math!"

"Ours is the section in trig functions, right?" Rise questioned Kanji, "The one where we find the area of a triangle given two sides and…"

Kanji looked confused as he turned to her, "Huh? You find the area of a triangle with… You know, that thing." Kanji was clueless, as everyone shook their heads, "Uhh, base by height by 2?"

Rise looked confounded by his stupidity in math. Even she wasn't this hopeless.

"If you don't mind, shall I teach you?" Naoto asked. She was being friendly

Rion thought to himself, "I'm sure Kanji would like nothing better than her private lessons from Naoto Shirogane."

Yosuke decided he wanted to ask for some help from Naoto too. He winked, "Oh? Are you as smart as I thought? Could you uhh… lend me a hand too?"

Naoto looked nervous. She obviously didn't want to help Yosuke, "Oh, um… I wouldn't know where to begin with second-year subjects."

Yosuke was disappointed, "Aww… What's up with that? Useless after all."

Naoto was pissed, "Don't call me useless!"

Rion tried to calm everyone down, "Okay everyone… I'll help out Yosuke. Calm down Naoto. I'm sure Yosuke just crashed his bicycle into the trashcan one too many times."  
Yosuke still seemed amused though, but was relieved he was being helped, "Hehehe… I think I know what buttons to push to get Naoto-kun all riled up." He continued with a smile, "You're pretty cute when you're angry."

"Another point I can bring up…," Rion smiled on the inside.

As expected, Naoto was flustered, "Wh-What are you talking about?"

"Oh Yosuke, if you need buttons to press to make Naoto all angry, just ask," Rion teased.

"Shut up, Rion," Naoto muttered.

Souji laughed and said, "This is funny." He thought, "I don't even have to study."

Yukiko hit him on the back of the head, "Souji-kun!"

Rion had put his hands together for meditation, his calculus book untouched and forgotten, and Kanji had given up, "That's it, I quit. This just ain't my thing. To hell with the exams. 'S time for my Animal Crackers."

"Oh god," Souji said as Kanji was about to pull them out, "Don't start this again."

Rise suddenly looked happy as Kanji pulled out said crackers. She emitted excitedly, "Ooh, can I have some too!? I wanna find the penguin!"

"Not the damn penguin!" Rion thought.

Kanji was affronted as he said, "Hands off the penguin! It's mine!"

"Forget it… I can't think," Yosuke said in dismay as he sighed.

As they were all lightly studying, Nanako said, "Teddie said he doesn't know who he is. That's so weird." She was chuckling innocently.

Teddie explained, "My life on this side is really fun. But the more I feel that way, the more I want to know who I really am… I've surfed the net, read manga, watched TV. I even went to a place called the libeary, but I still can't find anything about me.

"I'm afraid you wouldn't find much help in those places," Souji said to him.

Teddie continued, "Still, I'm starting to get an idea."

"An idea?" Souji's girlfriend asked.

Chie looked surprised, "Whoa, isn't this your first time sharing a theory about yourself?"

"I lived in that other world. That world was my reality," Teddie said, "But now, I have a feeling that it was born from the minds of people on this side. And over in that place filled with Shadows, I think I was some sort of special being."

"A special being?" Yosuke asked.

Teddie lamented as he put his head down, "I don't remember anything from back then, though. Maybe it's that "amnesia" thing I read about in a book the other day."

"It's true," Naoto conjectured, "There are some aspects of the other world that make it seem as though it's rooted in human thoughts."

"Is there any point in putting ideas like that in something we don't even have enough rudimentary ideas to start drawing conclusions about?" Rion discussed.

Naoto pointed out after him, maybe to disprove him, "The fact that you existed in such a world from the beginning adds credibility to your theory." It became a favorite game of theirs, trying to make each look stupid.

"I guess you are a "special being" on the other side, Teddie," Souji told Teddie, "I guess that just part of your memory is missing at this point."

Naoto asked, "What is the earliest memory that comes to your mind?"

Teddie gestured and said, "It's from a while ago. I've always lived there, as far as I could tell. Then it started to get noisy, so when I happened to bump into Sensei and Yosuke, I asked them to do something about it."

Naoto conjectured, "I see… If you've always been on that side, you'd have sense of time or days."

Rion shrugged, "I think it would be near impossible to guess a lifespan, or the age of Teddie."

Nanako looked completely confused and when Chie noticed this she said, "Oops, that's right! Nanako-chan's completely clueless about all this!" She apologized, "I'm sorry Nanako-chan. We didn't mean to leave you out."

"I'm sorry Little sis," Souji said.

Nanako made her own guess, "Hey… I think Teddie must be a king," she started to explain her reasoning, "I read in a story that a king was all alone in a forest because of a bad guy's curse. Isn't that what happened to you, Teddie?"

Teddie put his spin on it, "A King… Well! When you put it that way, it sounds about right."

"Oh, here we go…," Rion thought. Souji was thinking the same thing.

"Oh dear," Souji thought, "It's all Rion's fault."

"Teddie…? A King…?" Yukiko was amused, close to laughing. She giggled, "I can see him wearing a cape."

Chie sighed, "Sheesh, Yukiko… You go into laughing fits in front of anyone now."

"Tell me about it," Souji said, thinking of their times together.

Kanji put his head down, "Can we… not talk about Teddie being a King?"

Rion chuckled. He remembered the time he spiked the drinks and caused Teddie to kiss Kanji. "Good times," Rion thought.

"Hm… What's with that face?" Yosuke asked. He had seemed to have forgotten

"Teddie really was a king," he proclaimed, "There were all these other Kings too, and we all…"

Rion lost his composure and started to laugh until Naoto glared at him and hit him in the shoulder. It only made Rion laugh harder. Souji wondered why Rion started laughing more around Naoto and Rise especially. "Are they supplying him with drugs or something?" Souji thought, "They must be getting them from the fox."

Chie remembered and said before Nanako heard, "Hey! He's talking about what happened at the club!" Chie whispered at Teddie, "Quiet you! Not in front of Nanako-chan!"

Not even Rion wanted Teddie to reveal what happened in front of Nanako. In the end, they all went to buy drinks, non-alcoholic ones with Nanako. Teddie was left alone talking with Souji.

"Am I really a King?" Teddie asked Souji.

"You could be, Teddie," Souji responded.

Teddie laughed, "If I'm a King, I'll get to smooch girls every day."

"I don't think that's how it works, Teddie," Souji rolled his eyes.

Teddie said confidently, "I have this fuzzy feeling that I'll find out sooner or later with your help, Sensei."

Souji nodded before Nanako called out, "Big bro, Teddie, is melon soda okay?"

They both nodded as Nanako got them their drinks. At least a few of them got a little studying done before they left for their respective homes.

Nanako, who walked home with Souji, told him how much fun she had with his friends.

Before his test, Souji spent Wednesday studying with Yukiko in the rain, and Thursday studying with Chie who had begged him for help. At least Souji felt a little more prepared. Souji also got pegged with questions both of those days. "How much does it cost to make a yen piece?" He guessed two yen, and was right. "Amazing?" he thought. And, then that nasty, skanky homeroom teacher asked "What happens if you touch a plant?", "It grows faster." She wanted to put a question on the test about her measurements. "What a skank!" Souji thought.

-

Rion was not going to study. He refused to. So, he decided to play the game with his favorite Princess. He found Miss Naoto Shirogane and decided to bug her.

"Hello, Princess," Rion bugged her.

"I'd prefer you not call me that," Naoto said, "but besides that… Do you have time to talk with me?"

"No, Naoto-kun. I just came to get inside your head," Rion said, "That's why I came over here. I figured that you had made a conclusion."

"You're right, okay then," Naoto rolled her eyes. She was relieved on the inside that the joking conversation was over. She was almost happy that they could get down to business. Maybe they could be serious for once.

They once again returned to the bench in Samegawa after they had gathered their things.

"Let's hear what you got, Naoto-kun," Rion said.

"As you can see, nothing is written on it. It's just a plain white card," Naoto told him.

"That's pretty obvious," Rion told her. He laughed on the inside.

Naoto rolled her eyes, "But it does feel a bit stiff, given its thinness. Without any indications of its contents however, I have no idea who sent it," Naoto decided to give her conclusion, "I'd chalk it up as a prank."

Rion was shaking his head, well on the inside, "Somebody failed. We don't want her to think of it as a prank. Plan B, here we go."

"Well, that's no fun, is it?" Rion said to her. "Let's hope this works," Rion thought.

Naoto laughed, "One would expect to be more," Naoto smiled.

Rion was thinking, "She smiled. Genuine smile, score 1 point."

Naoto's phone rang out. She picked it up, "Ah, excuse me," asking Rion to wait a moment.

"Yes, it's me," Naoto as she opened her cell phone.

"Ahh, Yakushiji-san. What's the matter?"

"A thief? In the Shirogane Estate?"

"Yes… Yes… I see…"

"I don't keep anything in that room I'd miss terribly."

"You have already reported this to the police, I assume? Then, I'll leave the rest to you."

"As long is Grampa is safe, it doesn't matter. I can't take my eyes off this case yet."

Naoto hung up the phone.

Rion was thinking, "It looks like Yakushiji did his part." He asked, "What happened?"

Naoto was distracted until she heard Rion's voice, "Oh… Sorry. You heard, didn't you?"

"Umm… Kind of hard not to," Rion told Naoto. "I wonder how much he stole," Rion thought, "The more he steals, the more time I'll have to work."

Naoto was kind of uncomfortable as she explained, "That was from Yakushiji, my Grampa's secretary. It appears that someone has broken into the Shirogane Estate. It seems my room was targeted, and he wanted to know if I could think of any particular item the thief would have been after. Several items pertaining to me were also stolen from Grampa's inventory. I don't know about those, but my belongings aren't of any particular value, so…"

"The card…," Rion pointed out.

"Right… That's what I was thinking," Naoto said.

"You should be careful," Rion told her.

"Umm… Thanks for your consideration," Naoto responded. She looked uncomfortable. She wasn't used to Rion being nice, "Regardless, I'd rather you not worry about me. We do have more pressing matters to attend to."

"Exams…," Rion rolled his eyes, while Naoto did the same, "And a case that we have to wait for a kidnapper to make his next move."

"Yet, I'm not sure of how to react of you… umm… worrying about me," Naoto was still uncomfortable.

Rion shook his head, "I'll try not to show any more human emotions then."

That almost brought a smile to Naoto's face, but she was still edgy.

"I have to take you home, Naoto," Rion told her.

"I told you not to worry," Naoto responded.

Rion looked at her, "Your grandfather would want me to. He'd worry otherwise. Now let me."

She stopped resisting after Rion bugged her some more, and let the almost lazy, nonchalant young man walk her home.

"So, what do you think of the kidnapper's methods?" Naoto asked as she was walking back.

"They're a bit sloppy. The more they try, the more likely they'll be found out," Rion responded.

The next day, Rion bugged Naoto again. "This is rather enjoyable, not just important," Rion thought to himself, "It's a way to rile her up."

"I need to take you home, Naoto-kun. Who knows? You may get attacked," Rion told her as he walked up to her on the day before the exam.

"What? That isn't necessary," Naoto sputtered, "But… I guess it'll be alright." She assented to his wish.

As they were by the shoe lockers, Naoto pulled out a letter.

"This?" she said as she pulled it out.

"What is it?" Rion asked.

"This was in my shoe locker," showing the note to Rion.

"More cards? Quite repetitive," Rion said. One part of playing this game is trying not to spoil the fun. He had a façade to keep up.

"It's not related. This time, the sender's name is clearly written. Judging by the name and handwriting, the sender is a woman. She thoughtfully provided her name and year."

"Well, that's nice," Rion said sarcastically. "Don't they know that Naoto is a girl?" Rion thought.

"There's a heart-shaped seal, so I doubt it's related to the case," Naoto rolled her eyes, "So, there's no need to read it."

"I have to agree with you," Rion said.

She left for a moment and came back. Naoto told Rion, "I apologize. I wasted your time with this pointlessness. How misleading. A signed letter at a time like this."

Rion shrugged, "Its fine. That is disappointing, however." Rion was laughing at this inwardly. This was pointless. It had nothing do with his "game."

"I can't get rid of it on school premises, so I'll take it home and feed it to the shredder," Naoto told him.

"That works," Rion said.

"No matter the gender, I had no intention of reading the letter," Naoto said. She was rather blunt. She did feel a little inkling in that heart of hers when thinking about others that could have sent letters, however. She shrugged off the feeling and said, "I don't have time to deal with needless love affairs. I assume you are the same?" Rion felt bad for Kanji. He wondered what he had to do about that.

Rion nodded. He didn't need love. Love was pointless. Love gets you killed.

"People saying they love without knowing me. Ludicrous," Naoto muttered, "Let's go, Senpai. I have some questions regarding the murders I'd like to ask you. Do you mind if we stop somewhere along the way?"

"Fine with me, I guess," Rion said.

He would use this time to ask his own questions outside of dealing with murders.

They stopped at Souzai and discussed aspects the ways the murderer can be transporting the TV, while Rion choked on a piece of meat… just kidding.

Souji woke up on this dreaded Friday. It was the day of his 2nd midterms. At least he was prepared, well sort of. He thought he was. He headed out after a little breakfast with a small amount of trepidation.

Watching the river flow as he walked down the Samegawa Riverbank road, he met up with Chie, and Rion.

"Morning… Man, I studied for hours…," Chie said, exasperated, "Thanks again for helping me yesterday. Did you study?"

Souji nodded in thanks, "It gave me a chance to study as well. I needed to review."

"I asked you if you studied the last time we had exams too… Crap!" Chie looked down.

Souji looked at the stoic Rion and asked, "Did you study?" Souji knew he had harder tests than anyone else to take.

Rion shrugged his shoulders, "Not really…"

Souji shook his head, "Figures…"

Chie looked at Rion as they walked, "How could you not study? The exams are going to be excruciating!"

"No they won't. It's only going to affect the rest of your life. So, just do well," Rion said like it meant nothing.

Chie looked like he grew a second head, "How can he act so calm? Those tests mean everything?" She said to Souji as Rion walked past, "I just got to keep it together!"

"You will… He's just crazy…," Souji comforted her…, "Don't worry… You'll do better than Yosuke."

"That's not saying much," Chie sighed as the pair walked to class.

And then… The midterms began. The questions were rather easy for Souji to answer. They were all questions, formulas, and others that he remembered and studied over. It was odd, considered the small amount Souji had studied.

After the first two test days, Yosuke called Souji.

"You want to come to a study group? We do have four more days of testing?" Yosuke asked.

"Sure, why not?" Souji replied.

Souji came to Junes. Everyone but Teddie and Kanji were there to study. Souji thought, however, that Rion was there just to observe and hang out. He did think, "It's nice of him to be here and be friendly. He does try and be considerate to everyone."

"Hi guys… Sorry I'm late," Souji said as he got to the same table they met at the last study meeting.

"It's okay…," Yukiko said as Souji sat down next to here. Yosuke was across from Souji, and sitting next to Rise, who was sitting next to Rion. Naoto was sitting next to Rion. Chie was next to Yukiko.

"This is beginning to become a custom to meet here for this," Yosuke said, cracking open a book, "But that aside, can I borrow your notes?" he asked Souji.

Souji looked at him, "You can't have mine…"

Chie chuckled, "Borrowing notes is becoming a custom too. Alright, let's get started… But first, I want a melon soda."

"Is that your way of saying I'll let you borrow my notes if I buy you a melon soda?" Yosuke asked.

"Could be…" Chie winked.

Naoto smirked, "Hmhmhm, Chie-san and Yosuke-san seem to get along well."

"Why don't you two date?" Rise asked.

"That'd be perfect…," Souji told them.

Chie shook her head, "Never!"

"That was quick!" Yosuke responded quickly. It seemed like he was affronted. Maybe he did like her.

"Denial is the first stage of the truth," Rion told them.

Rise chuckled, "You too, Naoto! You could go out with Kanji!"

Naoto seemed to not like that idea, but she blushed anyways as she answered, "Please, stop it!"

"I think that'd be perfect for you, Naoto," Rion smirked.

"Shut up Rion!" Naoto exclaimed as she started blushing. Rion was teasing her again. He was far too good at it in Naoto's eyes.

"Aww, how cute!" Rise responded at the responses they gave.

"Hey, Senpai… Wouldn't Kanji-kun and Naoto-kun make a cute couple?" she asked Souji.

"I think so…," Souji answered. Souji didn't really care.

"Come on, don't joke like that…," Naoto answered, blushing.

Chie wanted revenge, "Hey… I see you spending all your time with Rion… How about you and Rion dating?" Chie asked Rise.

Rise chuckled, but blushed a little, "Hmm… I don't know, what would happen if we went out, Rion-senpai? Do you think that would affect my image?"

Rion shrugged, "I don't know. I can't predict the future." Souji rolled his eyes. He really couldn't tell if he liked Rise. Who knows if he liked anyone? He might like the girl that just always mutters about love on the first floor all day. She suddenly started saying she liked somebody all of a sudden.

"Does anything rile him up?" Rise asked. Souji looked at Rise. He was looking for signs of disappointment.

"Not really…," Souji answered.

"That's enough, guys," Yosuke answered, obviously disturbed by the exchanges, "Let's get back to studying!"

"Yosuke is encouraging us to study? I'd thought I'd never see the day…," Chie said.

"Oh… Shut up!" Yosuke muttered.

No real studying got done, but everyone talked for hours. It was entertaining for sure.

Souji was greeted by Nanako as he came home, "Welcome back!"

"Welcome back, Nanako," Souji returned.

"Good evening, Souji," Dojima said, as he was sitting, reading the newspaper.

Souji responded, "Hello, Dojima-san."

Souji decided to read instead of studying, but he felt smarter anyways. He was ready for the next four days of testing.

He knew all the answers again. "Boring…," he thought as he answered questions, "Maybe this is how Rion feels…"

When the testing was over, Rion returned from the 3rd year classroom to his own in 2-2. Yosuke was standing next to Souji, "It's finally over," as he yawned.

Chie was asking Yukiko about answers on the test, "Hey, about question 8…"

"Why are you so tired, Yosuke?" Souji asked.

"I pulled an all-nighter last night, so I'm ready to collapse any second now… I'm gonna head home," Yosuke told Souji, "See ya later, Souji."

"Bye...," Souji responded as Yosuke left.

Souji looked at Rion, "How was your exam?"

"Boring… I sat next to a guy who collapsed in the middle of the 3rd day. He had a nervous breakdown," Rion told him, "I'm guessing yours went well?"

"I thought I did well," Souji nodded.

"That's good. I expect to see yours at the top of the list," Rion told him.

Finally, the long midterms were over, and Souji was able to walk Yukiko home. She was rather nervous about the exam still. She spent most of the time on the way home asking questions about the exam. She wasn't as nervous as Chie, however.

"What about this question…?" she was asking.

"This answer is sodium bicarbonate," Souji responded.

"Oh, good," Yukiko looked relieved.

Souji wasn't sure who would be top of the 2nd years this midterm.

Oddly enough, Souji would have a bad experience that night.

---

Rion bugged Naoto after school.

"What? I just got out of exams?" Naoto was peeved after so long of answering boring and mundane questions that she was going to take her rage out on whoever bothered her… But she turned around and saw, Rion.

"I can come back later…," Rion was saying.

"Oh, I'm sorry… I was going to ask you if I could borrow you for a moment." Naoto asked.

"Umm… okay. I'll ignore the innuendo," Rion responded.

"Can you not make fun of me for one second?" Naoto muttered. She looked tired.

"Alright, I understand," Rion nodded, as he followed Naoto.

By the shoe lockers, Naoto pulled out something.

"Looks like Naoto found another card," Rion almost chuckled, "But this time… it's no love letter."

"You're right… It's that card," Naoto said, "It's unmistakable. It's the same cardstock, same size, and unsigned."

"Brilliant deduction as always…," Rion rolled his eyes.

Naoto expelled a deep breath in annoyance, "It's no doubt it's by the same person. Let's talk about it away from the school."

"Lead the way, Princess," Rion joked.

"I told you not to call me that…," Naoto said, annoyed.

"Well… you are a girl… You can't be a Prince… We already dealt with that fact in a TV…"

Rion was led to their favorite place of figuring crap out… the bench by the Floodplains.

The card read…  
**"Dear Detective,  
Your prized possessions are  
in my hands.  
Can you recover them?  
The game is afoot.  
-The Phantom Thief"**

"Man, he couldn't come with anything better than that," Rion thought of the letter, "Lame…"

"It seems this is the work of the figure who snuck into the Shirogane Estate. I'll send it Yakushiji-san so he can turn it into the police for evidence." Naoto looked annoyed, "The Phantom Thief? How absurd…."

"Great… Now she's reading my mind…," Rion thought, "What am I thinking of? Tacos, Dammit!"

"I do not have the time to waste on this…," Naoto muttered. "I have better things to do, solving a murder, and putting duct tape on this moron."

"That is true, in a sense," Rion said.

"We're dealing with a matter that has claimed lives; the stakes are entirely different," Naoto told Rion, "In contrast, we have a petty prankster, guilty of mere housebreaking, theft, and inscrutable threats." Naoto looked annoyed, "Just a ruffian who broke into the Shirogane Estate and threw down the gauntlet. That's why I don't like this!"

"Because… They struck you in the heart. They went right to a detective's house, and broke in. They issue threats, saying you aren't good enough to solve this case," Rion told her.

"I'd wish you weren't telling me everything, or always teasing me. Being one step ahead of me, or confusing me does not help me," Naoto told him, "I don't want to get involved in a childish game! Yet, if I ignore it… That would only make me angry."

"Well, we are the smartest… Let's catch him together. It won't take long," Rion suggested.

"Of course… you were the one to bring this card to me," Naoto agreed.

Rion nodded in agreement. "This is far too easy to bend her to my will," Rion thought.

"Let's work together on this…," Naoto hoped no one noticed the small blush on her cheeks. Luckily, Rion didn't.

"Alright then," Rion said, "Let's reexamine our first card here."

"Yes, there has to be a clue on this," Naoto said. She added, "Of course, I only want to work on this case in our free time."

"Don't worry, with all of this… we'll have plenty of it," Rion said, "I have some time left." He would have to hurry to work, but he had other work to do.

"Oh…," Naoto seemed surprised, "Well, I have the first card with me as well." She brought out both cards as laid them down, side by side, "I had talked to the store owner of Shiroku, and they carry cards of this kind. When I talked to the shopkeeper, her description matched the one you gave. This "Phantom Thief" purchased these cards mere days before handing one to you. Therefore, it's hard to imagine any elaborate process was performed on the card. "

"Yet, you aren't sure what it is…," Rion said.

"I do, however, detect a faint, lingering scent of citrus. It's very weak cologne, perhaps," Naoto suggested.

Rion shook his head, "I don't think so."

"Then, what do you think? I'm not sure what to do…," Naoto muttered.

Rion took out a matchbox, "I don't smoke, but I know a few things about being a detective. Have you ever heard of invisible ink?"

"Matches? You're burning it? Wait… Invisible ink? Could it be that simple?" Naoto looked dumbfounded.

"Well… I thought it was obvious…," Rion shrugged.

"Just don't burn anything down…," Naoto said, talking about burning the table, "Wait, let's go to Souji's house… We can use his stove…"

"Alright, but don't blame me if he's with Yukiko…," Rion said.

Naoto looked nervous, "You think… Yukiko is in Souji's room?"

"I think he's just taking her home… But we'll see…," Rion told her.

Luckily, the only person in Souji's house was Souji. Nanako was at a friend's home.

"Why are you here again?" Souji asked.

"To start a fire," Rion told him sarcastically, but then said, "To solve a mystery."

"Oh, okay…," Souji said, only slightly confused. "Then why are you with Naoto? Oh forget it, I don't want to know."

Naoto had put the card over the stove. Letters had appeared over the toasted card.

"You were right, Senpai," Naoto told Rion, "It was invisible ink."

Rion sounded affronted, if that was possible, "You sound like you expected me to be wrong."

"The citrus juices staining the paper burn first, making it legible," Naoto said.

"Now you're acting like I don't know how invisible ink works…," Rion rolled his eyes.

"Sorry…," Naoto said in an apologizing tone, "I wonder why a grown man is using such childish tricks."

"Maybe… because you are a child," Rion suggested.

"Do you want to get hit?" Naoto warned him.

"Don't kill the messenger. It's just a suggestion," Rion put his hands up.

"What does this mean?" Naoto pointed to a sentence, "Eating letters… With a red face… What does that mean?" She questioned Rion.

"Do you really have to ask?" Rion rolled his eyes. He thought, "And she's the detective." He decided to tell her after a pause, "It's a mailbox, Princess."

"You're calling her Princess now?" Souji asked.

"I've always called her Princess," Rion explained.

"Don't call me Princess!" Naoto really did hit Rion on the head this time, "But… You're right… It does seem to be a mailbox. There's one in the shopping district. Let's go."

"Oh, boy…," Rion thought as he was dragged around by Naoto, "I'm going to be late for work."

He yelled at Souji, "Bye… Thanks for letting us use your stove…!"

"You are welcome!" Souji yelled back as he was pulled out of the house.

"Has Rion been collared twice now? Or has he collared two?" Souji said to himself as the door was shut. He pushed it out of his mind as he remembered the kiss he received as he took Yukiko to the bus stop.

The pair ended up outside Daidara, at the mailbox. There was an item behind the mailbox, which Naoto removed.

"What is it?" Rion asked.

"This is… Why did Grampa keep this?" Naoto asked. She seemed confused.

"Well, you got it back… That's all that matters," Rion said.

"Yes… That's right…," Naoto said timidly. She continued, "I made this… when I was a child. It's a detective badge."

"Aww… how cute…," Rion said.

"Shut up!" Naoto told him, "However, There is no real function to it though."

"It's still cute…," Rion said again.

"Quit saying that…," Naoto tried to stop him. She regained her composure and said, "The thief did this, and all for a stolen detective badge? I have an idea for who the Phantom Thief might be, but I have none as to his motive."

"You got to admit, he knows how to hit you where it hurts," Rion smirked.

Naoto rolled her eyes at Rion's inane comments as she said, "This has become an important case to me. Though, I couldn't have solved it without you."

"Yes, I'm a better detective than the Princess…," Rion smirked.

"I'm warning you…," There was a dangerous gleam in her eyes. She did say, however, "I wouldn't have bothered otherwise, but thank you."

"Well, you're welcome…," Rion said.

"I wouldn't normal play these games. But, I'd rather play this one out. If you would help… There are things I want to know about you… Things that bug me…," Naoto said.

"When we have time, I'll help," Rion told her.

"Oh, yes… Let's," Naoto agreed, "Can I ask you something?"

"Okay… If I get to ask something in return," Rion said.

"Why do you tease people?" she asked.

"I do it to ask people to show their real selves… It's as simple as that," Rion shrugged.

"Oh… I see. So… when you call me…," Naoto was saying.

"I call you Princess because you don't act girl-y enough…," Rion said, "You try to act like a boy even after all the things you've been through."

"Oh…," Naoto said, "But… I don't want to. I choose not to."

"Inside, I know you want to. We have too many sides to us to choose from," Rion told her, "You are fixated on that certain one. I guess you choose that one because you are scared to show any other sides."

"You don't know that…," Naoto said.

Rion turned away and walked away. Not noticing the blush on Naoto's cheeks. Or she thought he didn't. "He didn't ask a question…," Naoto muttered.

Souji was relaxing after watching Rion being pulled out by Naoto. He was waiting for his "little sis" to come home. So, he turned on the TV, and watched Junes commercials. He struggled not to fall asleep, "How does she stand this?" Souji wondered.

Suddenly, Nanako had returned from the friend's house.

"I'm home!" Nanako proclaimed as she returned.

"Welcome back," Souji responded. He walked toward Nanako who was also walking toward Souji.

"Oh, welcome back," Nanako said, "There was a letter in the mailbox for you." She handed Souji a letter.

"Thanks, Nanako," Souji told her as he took it from her hands. It was addressed to him, but there was no return address. "What the hell?" he said to himself.

He took out the letter and read it…

"**don't rescue anymore…"**

Souji was confused, "What the fuck?" Hopefully Nanako didn't hear that.

Nanako didn't seem to hear it, but she walked up to him, and obviously seemed confused, "Is it from a friend?" she asked, confused.

"I don't think so…," Souji told her.

Nanako suddenly remembered, "Oh, my show is about to start!" She ran to the TV and turned it on.

Souji thought maybe the letter might be a warning from the killer. Though, it could be a joke. "I should talk to everyone about this… Well, Yosuke will give us his two cents… but I'll ask Yukiko and Naoto. I'll just call Rion the night after and he'll figure it out. He'll never talk."

The TV show Nanako was watching was disturbing. No 7yr old should be watching that show. It reminded him of some show he used to watch as a kid, Death Note or something. It must be because his father is a detective. But, Souji put it out of his mind as he went to bed.

At lunch, everyone met on the roof to discuss the freaky letter that Souji had gotten in his mailbox. The group was in a circle. Rise and Chie were sitting down on the lower area, with Yosuke and Kanji sitting on the higher echelon. Souji and Yukiko were standing next to each other, while Naoto and Rion were standing next to each other.

Souji showed everyone the letter.

"**don't rescue anymore,"** Naoto read the letter, "Is this a warning?"

"Sounds like it…," Rion said. "Somebody doesn't like us," Rion thought.

"No punctuation or capitalization? What a cliché," Chie pointed out. Chie wondered what was going on.

Kanji asked, "Ain't this just a prank? The kinda stuff that only happens in movies?"

"I don't know about this…," Souji responded.

"Did you show this to your uncle?" Yosuke asked.

"Oh, that's a brilliant idea, No!" Souji told Yosuke. Souji rolled his eyes.

"Senpai," Naoto told Souji, "Dojima-san is trustworthy, but it may be best to keep this to ourselves. He will ask why you received such a letter, and if he were to put you under surveillance, our hands would be tied."

"Don't remind me about what would happen," Souji said, "We know."

"Like last time…," Rion rolled his eyes, "They set Adachi on us, and we missed saving Rise."

Rise didn't know that, and looked annoyed as Souji said, "Yeah, I forgot about that."

"If this letter is real, what's most important isn't what it says. It's the fact that it was delivered to the Dojima residence, addressed directly to you," Naoto continued, "This means that the culprit knows in great detail who has been interfering with his crimes."

"He could have delivered it to any of our households, Souji," Rion said, "But he chose to deliver it the Dojima residence."

It seemed that she was going to say the exact same thing, so she said, "I'd have that letter checked at a crime lab… But even then, I'd doubt they'd find anything. The text is a warning, while the subtext expresses the culprit's confidence that we can't use it to pinpoint his identity."

Chie looked exasperated, "So, it's useless to tell the police… In fact, it would make things worse."

Yosuke put his head down. He looked worried, "Cross your fingers that it's just a prank."

"I think the chances of that are slim… This message is too specific, too perfect to be a prank," Yukiko muttered. She asked, "But how could the killer know so much about us? Could he be watching us from somewhere?"

Yosuke looked at them, "Teddie's been saying for a while that when we're over there, he senses someone watching us." He seemed to have a revelation, "Wait… Every time we went on the other side to rescue someone, did we end up on the Midnight Channel ourselves?"

Chie was skeptical, "I dunno… It seems like no one else knows what we're doing…"

Souji said, "We only hear stories of the people kidnapped afterwards. We never hear about people rescuing them."

Chie agreed, "I haven't heard any rumors about us at school. Even the people I know check that channel haven't said anything. All I hear is about those who disappear like Souji said."

"I see…," Yosuke was saying, "Come to think of it, how the Midnight Channel works is still a mystery."

"Let's put aside for now the matter of what the world really is. There's too little data to go on. For now, we need to keep in mind that the culprit knows who we are. As long as we are aware of that, it will be enough for now," Naoto said.

"I guess there's no use worrying about it," Souji said.

"Isn't freaking out over speculation is just what the killer would want us to do?" Yosuke asked.

"Yosuke's right," Souji nodded.

"Yeah…," Chie agreed.

"We'll just have to wait until a move is made…," Souji admitted.

"All right… Mind if I change the subject a little?" Chie asked.

"Okay…," Souji responded to Chie.

"The Culture Festival is just around the corner. What's our class doing again?" Chie asked the 2nd years.

Yosuke told Chie, "Oh yeah, it hasn't been decided yet, huh?"

Yukiko admitted, "I heard we'll be voting on it soon… But aren't they still gathering ideas?"

Yosuke suddenly got a look on his face, and Chie looked worried, "Whoa! I think Yosuke just got a bolt of inspiration. Whatever it is, it'll be out there. I'd bet my lunch on it."

Rise wanted someone to walk with her. "Ooh… Do you know who you'll be going around the campus with during the festival, Senpai?" she asked Rion, "My schedule is still wide open!"

"Me?" Rion asked, "You sure you don't want to go with Yosuke? Or with Kanji?" He didn't seem to care much. Souji wondered if Rion would just sleep through the whole thing.

Rise played with her hair, "No, I think they'd rather go with other people." Chie glared at her. Naoto looked alarmed. She looked at Rion, "So, will you come?"

"I have a bad idea about our class's activity, so I guess I'll come," Rion accepted the offer, "I'm sure it will make a stir to see you walking around with someone during the festival."

Rise looked happy with Rion's answer. Rise and Rion together at the Culture Festival, it looked suspicious to Souji. "Yeah, those two together would cause a stir, but I want to see Kanji and Naoto walking around," Souji thought. He was laughing on the inside.

"How'd I know she'd do something like this?" Chie rolled her eyes.

The group left to do whatever they want.

For some reason, the basketball gym was open for practice today. So… Souji played some basketball. Unfortunately, Souji got stuck polishing balls while Kou chased after Chie. "This sucks major balls," he thought.

---

Rion decided he really had nothing to do after school. But, when he was leaving, he spotted Naoto getting ready to leave herself.

"Time to play our little game…," he smirked.

Rion came up behind the diminutive detective and tapped her on the shoulder. Needless to say, she was a little shocked.

"Rion!" she exclaimed, "You know we're on edge as it is."

"Lighten up a little…," Rion shook his head, "If you get kidnapped again while I can see you, then I'll be impressed."

Naoto grumbled, "Anyways, I have a couple of clues and new challenges from our thief."

"Great…," Rion said. He thought, "Let's get this show on the road."

"The Phantom Thief knows where I live…," Naoto told Rion, "He put this card in my mailbox."

"Well… he did rob you…," Rion said. Naoto responded by glaring at his obviousness.

"Then why did he have you deliver the first card?" Naoto wondered.

"We looked "close", yet we aren't," Rion joked, "Unless you want us to be?" He laughed until Naoto hit him over the head. "I guess not…"

Naoto still chuckled at the chance to hit Rion, "That is a good judge of character. Well, this is what the card says…"  
**When the banks close, the fruit trees  
grows. By the large seven at the third I chose.**

"It's darker this time… Don't you agree?" Naoto asked, "Cryptic? With fruit tree, I get the idea of the first card."

Rion shook his head in disagreement.

"By the "seven" and the "third", then? What do those mean?" Naoto wondered.

Naoto noticed Rion was slumped over. She was annoyed, "Are you paying attention!?"

"Oh… I thought you were the detective...," Rion told her, "I already know the answer."

"Well… I need your help," Naoto told him.

"See… Well, what's the magic word?" Rion asked jokingly.

Naoto wasn't happy, "Please…,"

"Much better… The numbers are important. Seven and third…," Rion told them.

"The seven and the third," Naoto pondered. She suddenly came to a realization, "The third and seventh word!"

"Good job…," Rion rolled his eyes as Naoto glared at him for the millionth time in a few days time.

"So… "Banks" and "tree"… We need to find the largest tree by the riverbank," Naoto confirmed.

"Lead the way, Princess," Rion shrugged.

"Shut up!" Naoto said, but she dragged him along regardless.

Scouring the river banks, by a tree, they found a watch.

"This brings back memories," Naoto said.

"A watch…," Rion said as he adjusted his glasses.

"It's advanced for a watch, you know. It has a strong backlight. You can blind the enemy," Naoto told Rion.

"I'll make sure to move faster than you can shine it, then," Rion responded.

Naoto shook her head, "I doubt you could do that. Anyways, I modified this watch when I was young. I loved doing this sort of thing, when I was a child."

"Aren't you still a child?" Rion asked.

"I'm a teenager! A young adult!" Naoto rebuked him.

"Sorry…," Rion replied, "But, you should know… I'm really fast."

"Never mind," Naoto shook her head, "I always did prefer mechanical things than fluffy, cutesy objects."

"But, they're so cute…," Rion joked, "You know… even I had a stuffed animal once. It was so cute, it made Kanji's knitted animals go to shame. But, damn! He makes some cute things.

"What are you talking about!?" Naoto asked. "You had a stuffed animal? I thought all you ever had was weaponry in your crib," she thought.

"Nothing, go on…," Rion said.

"I like high places, so I had a secret base in the trees," Naoto continued.

"That would explain what we had to go through to get to your Shadow," Rion nodded.

"I just wonder… Why couldn't I have been born male?" Naoto wondered, "It just could have been so much easier for me. It's funny isn't it?" She looked at Rion expectantly.

"What's wrong with being a girl?" Rion responded, "I'm sure Kanji doesn't mind you being a girl."

"Senpai?" Naoto looked taken aback.

"More paths are open to you by the fact you are a girl than if you were a boy. You just haven't realized that yet," Rion told her.

"The fact that you can say that to me, why can't I complain?" Naoto nodded, "Even though you are quite abrasive, you do confuse me a lot."

Rion rolled his eyes, "I do that to people."

"I feel like I'm still a child when around you, Senpai," Naoto looked at him.

"Well… I am the oldest," Rion said.

"Rion-senpai?" Naoto asked, "What were you like as a child?"

"Me?" Rion had to think things through, "Well, I spent a lot of my early life studying in Britain where I was born. I was identified as a prodigal student of martial arts, and fencing; so they shipped me off around the country then to Japan to study various styles. That's why I never really became a social person. I don't think I was around enough people for a long enough time to learn social skills. When I moved here, I got bored with everything and decided I'd take my entrance exams early."

"I have one more clue, Senpai," Naoto said, "Will you take a look at it?"

"Sure," Rion said. "I guess we can speed up the process a little more," he thought.

They returned to the bench near Samegawa to discuss the next clue.

"I'm not sure what exactly the other item is we're searching for," Naoto said.

"Alright," Rion said, "Let's just figure it out, then." "Stupid Yakushiji…," Rion thought.

Rion and Naoto looked at the other card on the table.

"I received this card in the mail as well," Naoto told her rival.  
**Jury to not rest, or rout for fable.  
Minus 40, Minus 4**

"As is, it's complete nonsensical," Naoto muttered, "Does that mean its part of the riddle?"

He read over it for a second. "Concentrate on the numbers…," Rion told her, "Subtraction is the key to solving it." He put his hands behind his head like he was about to fall asleep.

At first, Naoto was shocked, "Subtract 40? Oh, subtract 40 from the sentence. "Jury to not rest, or rout for fable." From there you subtract 40 and 4," Naoto figured out.

Rion nodded in satisfaction with her answer, "See, that was not hard."

"So, the unnatural comma in the phrase corresponds to the two numbers," Naoto pointed out, "Subtract the letters in "forty" from the first part, and the ones in "four" from the second part. What remains in ju n es t able. Junes table."

Rion rolled his eyes, "Are we ready?"

"Let's go!" as Naoto dragged Rion to Junes.

"I'm a freakin' ragdoll!" Rion muttered to himself.

On the underside of the table was a ballpoint pen. Naoto grabbed the pen from the table next to the one they used as their "Secret Headquarters".

"A pen with a flashlight, and miniature telescope," Naoto told him.

"Flashy…," Rion said.

"Cute…," Naoto muttered, "I thought it was lost. I guess no one in my family likes to throw things away." Naoto was reminiscing, "When I had this, I was young. I was still dreaming of becoming a detective. No matter my gender, I never thought about it being an obstacle."

"You just had no one to compare yourself with," Rion said.

Naoto nodded, "I didn't have any friends either. It's now, when I finally have friends, that I worry more."

"It's probably because you don't want to lose them," Rion told her, "You finally have what you were searching for so long, and now that you have them; you are scared of losing them."

Naoto was struck by the truth Rion spoke.

"Do you think I'm undergoing a change? I feel that way," Naoto asked.

"No matter what, we'll be here. So, you don't have to be afraid. We're not going to leave," Rion shook his head, "We're not going to run away even if you grow six heads and start breathing fire."

Naoto looked at him, struggling to smile, "I see… The need to change, and the desire to stay the same are intertwined. It's scary."

"We all have to deal with that at some point. Evolution and adaptation is necessary," Rion pointed out.

She looked at him shyly, "I want to know how you dealt with that, Rion."

"I still am, Naoto. I always will be," Rion responded, "My personality is something that I still need to discover within myself. I was over-protective, but I will always be someone likes to watch over others. I can't change that part."

"I see…," Naoto said, "I didn't realize you were like that. You don't make sense at all sometimes."

As Rion left, Naoto hoped he she didn't see her blushing as he left.

The next day, in Souji's classroom, they all ended up watching the class representatives during homeroom chat about the Culture Festival. Souji sighed. It looked like they had to finally choose some random topic for the class to waste time on for a day.

The two reps, a male and a female, stood in front of the class. They looked very bored.

"Well, as you all know, next week is the Culture Festival," the male rep told the class, "And as you also know, we still haven't decided what our class is going to do for it." The rep sighed, "You guys don't care, do you?"

The female rep chimed in, "We are going to decide based on the suggestions we have so far. Please vote for one of them." The female read off the list, "Here they are… "Break area"… "Video room"… and "Study room"…"

The students looked pretty bored as well. One student said, "Wow… Sounds like whatever we pick, we don't need to put a lot of effort into it. Talk about lack of motivation."

Another said, "Yeah, but the easier the better, right?"

The female rep remembered, "Oh, one more… Um… "Group Date Café."

The class looked confused at that choice.

"Heeey, who put in a suggestion like that?" Yosuke said with a knowing smirk, "Was it you, Chie?" he asked the bowl-cut girl.

"We all know it was you, dumbass!" Souji thought.

"Yeah right!" She looked astounded at his joke, "Why would I do such a thing?"

Yukiko looked at both of them, "What's a group date café?"

"Who knows?" Chie said, "But I doubt anyone will vote for it. Our class seems like a serious bunch."

Yosuke was still smirking, "Yeah, it's probably a joke idea. You gotta have one weird one mixed in with the rest."

Chie looked disgusted, "Ugh… figures."

The female rep butted in, "We'll be passing around the vote sheet. Just circle one of the suggestions."

When it came around to Souji, he voted for Group date café.

"It'll probably win," he thought, "Our class is so stupid that it'll win. I'll get to hang out with Yukiko this way. Well, I'd hang out with her anyways."

When all the votes were cast, the male rep said, "Alright, time to count the votes . Uhh… the first vote is… group date café."

It continued that way until it won by an overwhelming margin.

"Huh, seriously?" the rep said.

The class looked pretty nervous, and shocked. Most didn't expect the date café to win.

"Wha… 1st place? What are we gonna do?" Yosuke was shocked.

"Don't ask me! This is your fault!" Chie exclaimed. She said, "I do wonder, though. Do all those people who voted for it realize that they have to run it themselves?"

Yukiko smiled nervously, "I've never been on a group date before, so I was a little curious. Is that okay?" as she looked at Souji. Souji nodded.

"What the… You voted for it!?" Chie was astounded.

Yukiko explained, "Yeah… I thought it would be sad if no one voted for it."

Chie tried to reason, "But Yosuke's the one behind it."

"Hey, it wasn't just me," Yosuke tried to get out of it, "It came in 1st place. The public agrees."

"I voted for it," Souji said.

"You too!?" Chie asked.

"So did I," Rion said.

"Why?" Chie questioned him.

"Because I'll be with Rise, not here," Rion joked.

"Well, since the majority rules, we'll be doing the group date café," the male rep said, but he was confused, "But what does that even mean? Is it like speed dating? Can we really pull this off? You'd all better pitch in on this."

One student asked, "Do you think the teachers will even approve of this?"

Another student replied, "Our teacher is Kashiwagi, do you think she would have objections?"

The male rep told them, "Kashiwagi is busy getting ready for those two notorious pageants. That's why she's leaving it up to us students to decide what to do."

One female student said in disgust, "Yeah, right! She just dumped it into our laps 'cause she didn't want to bother."

One student was worried, "Group date café? Do you think we'll have any customers?"

"Nope…," Souji said to himself.

Another female said, "Seriously, what is a group date café? I voted for it, and I don't even know what it is."

"How the heck is this going to turn out?" Chie muttered.

After finding out that they'll have to play with the Group Date Café, Souji decided to play some basketball. He tutored a smart-ass middle schooler with social disorders at night. "Get a makeover," he thought. He spent Sunday with an old lady who called herself "Death". "Umm… issues," Souji thought. He fished at night, and almost lost his fishing pole to a fish the size of Souji's umm… nevermind.

Monday, Souji would find his test scores.

"As long as I score at least 2nd," Souji thought. He wanted to beat Yukiko and score 1st, but he didn't mind finishing 2nd. Rion wasn't on the list anymore. He thanked God for that.

When the annoying girl called out that the list was out with the grades.

Yosuke muttered, "Ahh, the time for the awful truth."

"I don't know why she keeps calling it out," Souji says, "She usually has one of the lowest scores anyways."

Souji looked at his grades. He had the highest score. He beat Yukiko and completely outmatched Chie or Yosuke. He glanced over at the 1st year's scores. Naoto had the highest score in that class, Kanji… the lowest. Rion's scores were now lumped in with the 3rd years. Souji rolled his eyes, Rion had the top score, "Smart-ass," he muttered.

"Great job!" Yukiko told him. She didn't seem to mind that his boyfriend beat her.

"I can't believe I did that badly," Chie sighed.

"Here goes my chance in life," Yosuke shook his head.

After finding out his grades, and listening to his droning teachers; Souji decided to do something he hadn't done since April. He went to a Drama club meeting. He listened to thirty minutes of sob stories from the Drama class and left. He did that the next day too, for the same amount of time. He couldn't stand people like Yumi.

"Was I really that bored to go to Drama Club?" Souji wondered as he headed to his household.

"Welcome back!" Nanako greeted him.

Wednesday, he spent with Yukiko and spent it with Yukiko nestled in his arms. Souji soon decided that Wednesday was a much better day than the previous two days.

The next couple of days would be spent preparing for the Culture Festival… There would be some horrific results in store waiting for everyone involved.

Naoto found a letter in her shoebox on that Wednesday.

"What's this?" she said to herself.

It was made of almost similar card stock of what the Phantom Thief was using, so it made Naoto suspicious. "Could it be another clue from him?" But unlike any of the others, it had clear red letters instead of black.

It was addressed, **"Honesty"**

"Well… that makes it even more suspicious," Naoto told herself, "But, only a few of us know about the "Phantom Thief" so the likelihood that it is him is rather slim.

"Honesty…," she thought. "Could that mean me?" She wondered because Naoto means honesty, so it was addressed to Naoto.

Naoto flipped it over and read the contents.

**You want to change, huh? **

**Respect that fact if you want to do what you do not want to **

**Be what you not want to be.**

"What!?" Naoto looked at the card. "Do what I do want to do? Be what I want not to be?" Naoto tried to look for something more, "Is someone spying or could it be?" Naoto quickly tossed the card as she realized where it came from.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

I own nothing, Atlus owns Persona, SMT, my money, my soul, and so on.

Let's see… what to say about this chapter? Culture Festival, Hot Springs, and moving on toward Nana-chan into Heaven are the purpose of this chapter. This is where the story starts getting even screwier… for just a little while longer. I introduce a side character for a small part for the 1st of 2 chapters. Naoto goes way OOC for 1 of 2 chapters. Rise goes somewhat OOC. Give it 3 chapters and it'll be fixed up… sorta, okay 4. One more thing, I use Rion's POV a bit more for the next 3-4 chapters.

Why am I still posting this when I beyond swamped? My loyal fans who keep visiting and 2 faithful reviewers are the reasons. If others want to review any of the 19 chapters, you're welcome to do so.

* * *

Souji headed to school on the 26th of October. What he didn't know was the disaster that would follow him in a few days. He didn't really mind dealing with the café, since he'd be with Yukiko.

Yukiko greeted Souji at the gates. They talked about the upcoming festival.

"Let's just do our best to survive the festival," Yukiko told him, her arms behind her back.

Souji sighed, "You too. Do you look forward to it?"

"Yeah," Yukiko responded, "We've only had bad news all year. We need something to look forward to."

They walked to class together and walked into 2-2 before the bell rang.

The headdress-wearing psycho teacher was lecturing today, Souji had seemed to forgotten her name, Sofue, was it? They were talking about Latin, October, and the Roman Empire. It was boring Souji to death. Souji looked over. Chie was whispering at Yosuke to wake up during the middle of the lecture. Souji felt like taking a nap himself.

Yosuke did seem excited during the morning and at lunchtime for some reason. The next day, everyone was crowded around the bulletin board near the entrance of the school door that Yukiko was responsible for putting up important infomation.

Souji went over for a look. He was intrigued to see what all the commotion was for. The Headline on the bulletin read "The Miss Yasogami High Pageant!"

"What the hell is this?" Souji thought, "Is this what Kashiwagi was setting up?"

It's some beauty pageant that was taking place during the Culture Festival, he guessed.  
One female seemed rather annoyed, "On top of planning it, Kashiwagi is going to be in it?"

"What the hell?" Souji thought, "Our old hag of a teacher is going to be in the pageant?"

"So, that's why she agreed to plan it," another appalled student who rolled her eyes said.

Noriko Kashiwagi was on the list. The others were… "Holy Shit!" he thought as he saw… Yukiko Amagi, Chie Satonaka, Rise Kujikawa, Naoto Shirogane, and Hanako Ohtani.

"Oh, I'm going to kill Yosuke!" Souji thought, "How dare he put Yukiko through this! Rion will probably think it's really funny that Yosuke put Rise and Naoto on the list. Chie is going to punt Yosuke. Kanji will probably be begging Naoto to go through with this. You know Naoto will be pining to get out of it."

The same student who commented on Kashiwagi's entry said, "One, two… Wow, there's a lot of signups here. I'm surprised so many people took an interest."

A second girl student freaked, however, "Whoa! Rise Kujikawa!? Seriously? Trust a celebrity to kill the fun of it all."

The first student replied, "I'll bet she'll draw a huge crowd."

A fan of Yukiko said, "Wow, Yukiko-san is finally entering. If this was any other year, she'd win for sure… Now she's up against Risette. It's gonna be a Culture Festival to remember."

"Just don't get too close, and I won't have to kill you," Souji thought, "Are you kidding me about this?"

One of Rise's fans woke up from his daydreams about Rise obviously and said, "Huh? Risette's entering? She's gonna take part in something like this. Maybe I better think more seriously in saving a seat."

"Only about two-thousand fans to fight with buddy," Souji thought, "Then again… She spends all her time with Rion… probably got to detach her death grip on the poor boy. I feel sorry for you, really, I do. She'll be holding onto him like no tomorrow."

A more manly man said, "Look, Chie's entering too. She's actually pretty close to my type."

"You sound creepy," Souji thought.

The Yukiko fan said, "Actually, I hear she has a lot of secret admirers."

"Like Kou…," Souji thought, "Just don't tell Yosuke. If he survives this next beating, Chie might just fall for him."

The Yukiko fan said next, "Naoto is that boyish… girlish… whatever, right? You know she's pretty cute, hehehe."

A student who was wearing glasses told him, "You sound like a perv when you talk like that. But, to be honest… I think she's cute too."

Souji rolled his eyes, "Poor Rion, you'd have to tear Naoto off of him too. She drags him around like a rag doll. I felt sorry for him when he was at my house, doing something about burning an index card over a stove. That guy in black I talked to caused Naoto to spend all her time with him too. She's dragging him everywhere. There is also the fact that Kanji will be drooling over Naoto like no tomorrow."

"Damn! Everyone likes somebody here…," Souji pondered as he walked away.

But as he was about to walk away, Yosuke walked up to him from the area around the practice building. He was the son of a bitch who had signed everyone up, and Souji knew it.

"Yo," Yosuke greeted him.

"Hi," Souji responded.

"Are you free for lunch? I dunno why, but Chie asked us to come up to the roof," Yosuke asked him.

"I guess," Souji responded. He thought to himself, "It's because you signed up everyone to be in the freakin' pageant you dumbass!"

"She looked pretty serious. I wonder if something happened," Yosuke wondered, "Oh, and Kanji and Rion is coming too," Yosuke added. Souji knew Yosuke was going to die in a few minutes.

On the roof, all the girls were staring down Yosuke, while Kanji and Souji were standing behind the girls to the left. Rion was lying on the edge to the left of them, almost asleep.

Chie started off the angry attack on Yosuke, "You better have a damn good explanation for this!"

"For what?" Yosuke tried to sound innocent.

Chie yelled at him, "The Beauty Pageant! You wrote our names down without telling us, didn't you!?"

"N..No! It wasn't me! Why do you automatically blame me?" Yosuke tried to defend himself.

Yukiko and Chie walked towards the offending boy.

"He's in trouble now," Rion said to no in particular, and Souji chuckled.

"I mean, if you don't want to do it, you just say no, right? Like it was just a joke," Yosuke kept saying.

"We wouldn't be so pissed if we could do that!" Chie yelled, "With Kashiwagi planning this year's event, even those who got entered by other people can't back out!"

Yosuke muttered, "Seriously? Must've been something in the fine print I overlooked."

Chie yelled at him, "So it was you!"

Souji chuckled, "Somebody got caught…" he thought, "Yosuke is so screwed."

"Oh crap!" As Yosuke realized his Freudian slip.

Both Yukiko and Chie started yelling at him.

Rise looked at the other guys, "Hey, do you want us to take part in the beauty pageant?"

"Well yeah," Yosuke responded to Rise, "I mean you guys know how popular Yukiko is here. And on top of that, we have an idol and a Detective Prince. What's the point of having a beauty pageant if all these incredible heroines aren't going to take part?"

Chie wasn't amused, "So where do I fit in?" She sighed, "Well… Excuse me for not fitting in!"

Well everyone tried not to look ashamed, Yosuke asked, "Hey, you want them to be in it too, don'tcha Kanji?"

Kanji tried to look nonchalant, "Huh? I ain't interested in that kinda stuff." Yet, he looked at Naoto and got goose bumps. Rion chuckled at Kanji's nervousness.

Yosuke told her straight out, "Naoto-kun… Kanji-kun says that he really wants you to be in it."

Kanji seemed annoyed that Yosuke put words into his mouth, "Wha! I didn't say nothin'!"

Rion started laughing again.

Naoto looked taken aback at Yosuke and Naoto's comments.

Yosuke looked at Souji, "What about you? You want Yukiko to be in it, right?"

"Sure, why not?" Souji said. Souji did like some aspects of the possibility of Yukiko being in a beauty pageant. However, the rest of the male population being able to see her as well, was a necessary evil.

"Souji!" Yukiko exclaimed, "What are you saying!? I don't want to do this!"

Yosuke turned to Rion, "What about you Rion?" Rion looked like he really was asleep now, "You awake there? Do you want Naoto or Rise to be in the pageant?"

Rion shrugged, "Whatever. You girls do what you want. It's Yosuke who made you do this."

"Aww…," Rise said, "I thought you might not want me to show myself off to other guys, Senpai. I guess you really don't mind."

"I wonder if Rion wants to see Rise up on the stage." Souji thought, "I know he'd make Naoto do it just to see her squirm."

Chie didn't seem happy with their responses, "Hey, you guys are inching onto the bandwagon with Yosuke, aren't you?" Rion rolled his eyes. Souji shrugged his shoulders.

"It's not like we said anything that crossed the line," Souji thought, "But its best not to say too much."

Rise said cheerfully, "So long as there are people looking forward to seeing me, I might as well put on a show for 'em." She glanced at Rion, who wasn't paying attention, "Of course, there's no reason to get my agency involved."

"That's right!" Yosuke tried to save himself, "That's the way to go! Teddie's looking forward to it!" He added, "Actually, I think he was more excited than anyone. It was him who was pushing me to sign you all up."

Chie shook her head, "Ugh… So Teddie's behind this too."

Naoto sighed, "We're in an awkward position… If we can't refuse, I suppose there's no sense in arguing the point. But it seems ill-fitting for someone like me to get on the stage. I wonder if there's any way I could take it up with the school authorities."

I don't think Kanji liked that idea of her getting out of it. He told her, "I… I don't think it's a problem at all." He got all flustered, "I mean, just do it! Ya know… Seriously!"

While Naoto cocked an eyebrow, Yosuke interjected, "Dude, it looks like your blood is boiling even more than usual."

Rise giggled, "Silly Kanji. Just tell her you wanna see her on the stage."

Rion rolled his eyes, "This is hilarious,"

Rise asked, "So, is it a deal? The four of us will be in the beauty pageant?"

"What are you saying?" Naoto looked at Rise. She was really flustered now and blushing.

Kanji pleaded, "Um… I beg you, please be in it. If you do, my, uh, doubts will finally be cleared." His pleading reached new heights, "C'mon! Make me a man!"

"Doubts? What are you talking about?" Naoto was confused.

Kanji got even louder if possible, while Rion chuckled again, "L… Look, just do it, dammit! I m…mean, you're an ace detective, aren't you?"

Naoto was even more taken aback, "Wha…!? What does that have to do with a beauty pageant?"

Kanji was breathing heavily. He seemed to be hyperventilating.

"Do I really have to be in this?" Naoto shook her head, "This is ridiculous." She looked at Rion.

He smiled and gave her a look. She could read his look, "There's no way in hell you're getting out of this. You have to prove to Kanji that you're a girl who isn't afraid to get on the stage."

"I'll make sure you pay then, Rion," was the look Naoto gave back.

Naoto sighed in defeat, while the rest shook their heads. Looking at Rion, she gave a small blush.

The group hurried downstairs as fast as possible. Souji and Rion stayed up on the roof.

"You know Yosuke is dead meat, right?" Souji asked for confirmation as Rion passed him a sandwich.

"Of course," Rion responded, "But I think we'll be caught in the cross-fire. We are going to suffer their wrath only because we our Yosuke's friends."

"I have that feeling too," Souji nodded.

"Hell hath no fury like four women scorned," Rion chuckled.

"I didn't know Rion could be this amusing. I wonder what he's hiding. He's hiding something about both Rise and Naoto. What the hell has he been doing with both of them?" Souji thought, "Do you think…? No, don't tell me…? And I thought I've been…"

"Hey, did you make this?" Souji asked, as he bit into the sandwich.

"I did," Rion answered.

"Okay… the girls never get to cook again, you're now the head chef," Souji responded.

Rion just chuckled.

He left those thoughts on the back-burner as they finished their lunches and headed back to class.

After school, Chie and Yukiko went to Junes to get their supplies while the rest of the group started setting up for the group date café. They came back with huge bags of supplies and dropped them on Yosuke's feet.

"We're back. Ugh, I'm so tired," Chie muttered as she dropped them on his feet.

"Ouch, dammit!" Yosuke yelled, "Where'd you guys go, anyways?"

"Over to Junes. We had to get some paint and cloth," Chie explained.

"You mean for the decorations," Souji explained as he moved Chie's bag off Yosuke's foot.

The female class rep turned to Chie, "Thank you. Did you have them write an invoice?"

Rion looked at them, "Or did you just charge them to Yosuke again?"

Chie chuckled, but said seriously while Yosuke glared at Rion, "Yeah, I think they understood what it was for, so they wrote for it without us having to ask."

The male rep turned as well, "There's some things I want to go over about the day of the event."

Chie asked, "Is this about the group date café?"

The male rep nodded, "Yes, since Yosuke is leading the executive committee."

Yosuke stepped back, "Wait, what!?"

The rep said, "It was your proposal, right?"

Yosuke shook his head, "Are you serious?" Souji chuckled at Yosuke's dilemma.

"He keeps screwing himself over," Souji thought.

"Well, all you have to do is the reception," the rep told the despondent Yosuke, "After people sign in, have a few guys and girls sit facing each other at a table. Conduct a short session first where they ask each other questions. After about a half hour of that, it'll be confession time. Get them to select the number of the person they like. If the other person accepts, then they are a couple." Yosuke was turned away, so the rep asked, "Hey Yosuke, are you listening?"

Yosuke sighed, "Yeah, I hear ya."

In the back of the room to the left, a group of boys were making a commotion. It seems they were going to play a game.

One student said, "Hey, if we roll up this bit of cloth, won't it be kinda like be a ball?"

Another said, "Yeah, then I'll be a catcher!"

"Why the catcher?" a third student asked.

A fourth asked, "Hey Yosuke! Wanna be the batter?"

Yosuke sighed. Souji thought, "Here it comes."

Yosuke exclaimed, "Ahh, I don't give a damn anymore! I'm in! Watch me slam that ball right in your face!"

Yosuke and the group ran to the front of the classroom to play makeshift ragball.

The female rep yelled, "Hey! You guys better get serious about this."

The other students in the back ran to the front only leaving the rest of the group: Souji, Chie, Yukiko, and Rion remaining.

Rion muttered, "I'll help set up, but don't expect me to be here when it starts."

"At least you have an excuse," Souji told him. Rion rolled his eyes.

"It gives me a reason to do something other than this waste of time," Rion said.

"Lucky you," Souji shook his head. Rion just pushed up his glasses.

At school the next day, Yosuke, Rion, and Souji were walking down the stairs at lunchtime were people seemed to be crowded at the bulletin board.

"What the hell is it this time?" Souji asked as the three of them walked into the crowd.

"I don't have a good feeling about this…," Rion muttered.

The headline read "The 'Miss' Yasogami High Pageant"

"It's a cross-dressing pageant, Souji," Rion muttered.

"Oh, okay…," Souji said.

One of the students looked at Yosuke and said, "Hey, it's Yosuke! We're expecting great things from you!"

Yosuke chuckled, "Haha, they're doing the cross-dressing pageant again this year? Man, they never learn, do they?" He noticed that some names were up, "Oh, some people have already signed up already. Hahah, man, what idiots would want to be in this thing?"

Rion looked at the list and pointed at it, and Yosuke read down the list, "Let's see… Yosuke Hanamura…" He freaked, "Me….!?" He looked down the list, "Wait… and Kanji Tatsumi!" He looked at the others, "Both of you are on here too."

Rion and Souji looked at each other and said simultaneously, "Unrighteous revenge."

Rion said to Souji jokingly, "This is what you get for saying Yukiko should be in it."

"Like I barely said anything," Souji muttered, "And this is what you get for being mortal enemies with Naoto, and best friends with Rise."

Even though this was a dire situation, Rion cracked a small smile at Souji's words. Souji confirmed it. Rion was a lunatic; it was like he knew it was going to happen.

Another student said, "Wow, there are a lot of contestants this year. Didn't we only get, like, two contestants last year?"

A student that really didn't care said, "I heard this year, even if someone else signs you up, you can't back out."

Well, the student that was happy with the facts that were so many involved said, "Well, that's disappointing, but what if they did sign themselves up?"

The other student said, "Eww, what a disturbing thought. Seriously, that's really wrong."

Yosuke turned to the others, "Someone else signs you up?"

"Duh, who do you think signed us up?" Souji told him.

"It's them," Yosuke said, "They must have done it."

"Brilliant deduction," Rion rolled his eyes at the pair, "Of course they signed us up."

Chie and Yukiko were talking with the female rep about the group date café when all of the boys entered the classroom. Kanji had come running as fast as he could into Class 2-2.

Yosuke copied Chie's yelling yesterday, "You better have a damn good explanation for this!"

Chie was playing the innocent card, "For what?"

"For what, my ass! For signing us all up in the cross-dressing pageant! It was you, wasn't it?!" Yosuke yelled.

The rep left as Chie and Yukiko looked at each other. Chie acted like she just remembered as she said, "Oh, yeah, that thing. Rise-chan started saying, "Let's all have some fun with this!" So I didn't really have a choice. And Kashiwagi seemed happy, too, now that there are more people involved in it."

"You little… This is cross-dressing. Cross-Dressing!" Yosuke yelled.

"It's not exactly amusing," Souji said. Souji was going to do his best to get out of it.

Chie got out of her seat and stood up to Yosuke, "Well, you're the one who started it! It's because of you that we can't back out of the beauty pageant, so it serves you right!"

"That's beside the point," Yosuke pleaded.

"Don't worry…," Yukiko said, "We'll make you absolutely enchanting. Okay?"

"That's not what's important here!" Yosuke yelled.

Kanji yelled, "It's about a man's pride, dammit!"

"I don't think I want to do this," Souji told them, "This isn't a good idea."

"I know, right? You heard him! This is completely out of the question!" Yosuke agreed.

Chie brushed it off, "Yeah, yeah. This has nothing to do with pride or any of that. You know already, right? Once someone signs you up, you can't back out. If you got a problem with that, go talk to Ms. Kashiwagi."

"And I wonder why she's never married," Rion rolled her eyes as he thought.

Yosuke shook his head, "There's no way she's going to listen."

Kanji looked at the frustrated Yosuke and Souji, "Wha…! Why're you giving up already? I ain't doing this! Period!"

Yukiko turned to him, "Kanji-kun, are you still okay as far as the mandatory attendance policy? I don't think it would be wise to disappoint a teacher too much."

Kanji lowered his head, "You're a scary gal, you know that, Senpai?"

"Just leave it to us to dress you guys up," Chie said.

"With you girls, we'd probably turn out like your cooking…," Rion thought.

"Rise-chan is with us too!" Chie continued, "There's no way you won't turn out pretty."

Rion continued thinking, "Just like her cooking… She had people to dress her when she was an idol, you know."

Kanji was stuttering, "You're positive we'll be pretty?"

Yukiko said, "I guarantee it!"

Yosuke turned to Kanji, "Hey, why are you suddenly fine with this?"

Kanji flexed, "Well, if we gotta do this, might as well go all the way with it!"

Yosuke shook his head, "There's nothing manly about being a woman. I seriously refuse…"

"Kashiwagi's sure gonna get angry if you don't show up. Maybe you and Kanji-kun can be classmates next year," Yukiko told Yosuke.

Yosuke shook his head in dismay, "Why is this happening?"

"Life sure sucks," Souji said.

"We all end up in the same boat, without our consent," Yosuke muttered, "What kinda joke is this?"

"The exact same joke you pulled on us!" Chie told him. She was still seething.

Yosuke finally relented, "If we gotta to do this, we might as well go all the way with it! Ahaha!" He hung his head in despair.

Souji shook his head, "I am going to kill Yosuke," he was thinking to himself.

When Souji got home, he barely had time to eat dinner before he crashed in his room. He was quite pissy, and wanted to take it out on something. His futon became the target. Eventually, he got tired of throwing stuff at it, and fell asleep on his now messy futon. For the next day, the terror would begin known as the Culture Festival.

When Souji woke up, he trudged off to school begrudgingly. He didn't really feel like going. He wasn't really optimistic about the café, nor was he excited about the pageant.

When he got there, he saw the classroom looking all pink and red. It was decked out like some of those cupid Shadows had puked all over the place. Tables were lined up in rows for guys and girls to sit across from each other to fall in love. "Yeah, right," Souji muttered.

Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, and the male rep were already there as well. They were the only people there. Yukiko and Souji were trying to bring in the customers, but to no avail it seemed. The group date café was turning out to be an epic failure as Yosuke would put it ever so eloquently.

Yukiko and Souji still tried to bring in the customers.

"C…Come in for a first-hand experience with group dating," Yukiko sighed.

"You know this is stupid, right?" Souji asked her.

"I know… This is so embarrassing," Yukiko responded, "I mean if there were people to solicit that might be one thing, but there aren't that many people passing by."

"Lack of potential customers is just making it worse," Souji said.

The male rep turned to Yosuke and Chie, "I think we need some shills to drum up interest."

"Shills?" Yosuke obviously had no idea what the hell he was talking about, "Uh… Who?"

"Who else is here besides us?" the rep told him.

"Isn't that kinda sad?" Yosuke shook his head.

The rep sighed, "Do we have a choice? We need customers to get the ball rolling. If there aren't that many people passing by, we have to get the attention of the ones who are by any means necessary."

"There are only five of us…," Souji pointed out. "Stupid Rion, ditching us," Souji thought, "He's off with Rise. I bet the paparazzi are having a field day and the other students are in awe."

Just then, Kanji came into the room. Kanji was curious to see what was going on in his senpais' classroom.

"Yo, how's it going?" Kanji inquired as he entered, "I came to check up on you… guys." He remarked as he noticed the nearly empty classroom.

Chie noticed they now had an even number of people so she said, "Perfect timing!"

Unfortunately Yosuke pointed out, "But now we've got four guys and two girls."

The rep shrugged, "You guys are cross-dressing tomorrow anyways. One of you can sit on the girls' side."

"Wha! I'm not gonna…," Yosuke was adamantly against one of the guys sitting on the girls side, especially Kanji, Souji, or himself.

Souji went over and grabbed a guy's seat. He wasn't having any of this feminine crap. Kanji also sat down on the guys' side.

After the two sat down, the rep said, "There you go, Yosuke. You'll be our girl."

"Are you serious?" He pinched his fingers between his nose.

Yosuke sat across from the rep, while Yukiko sat across from Souji, of course. Chie sat across from Kanji.

"Well, let's get started," The rep said. He looked confused, "Uhh… You guys can start now." He looked nervous, "Will someone please start!"

Kanji looked confused, "Actually, what the hell is this?"

"A mock group date," Yosuke muttered. Then, Yosuke raised his voice or attempted to and giggled, "I mean… we're on a group date!"

Chie looked at him, well, everyone was looking at him, but she said, "You don't have to talk like a girl."

Kanji looked at Chie and eventually asked, "S…So, what are your hobbies?"

Yosuke looked at him and said, "Man, you're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Chie stuttered and said, "I like, uh, martial arts in general. Mainly watching them… Ahaha." She sighed, "Yikes, this is really embarrassing."

Yukiko answered, "My hobby is, um… defeating Shadows?"

Everyone else gave her a look, while the rep just looked rather confused by her answer.

"That's not a hobby!" Yosuke exclaimed.

Yukiko apologized, "O… Oh yeah, sorry."

"Okay, then we'll ask you a question next," Chie said. Chie seemed to be grasping at straws to find something to ask, "Umm… umm…"

So, Yukiko chimed instead to try and move the conversation along, "What type of girls do you like?"

Yosuke pointed out, "Whoa, getting right to the point."

The rep said, "I guess… cute girls?" He shook his head, "Man, this is lame."

"Well, what did you expect?" Souji asked him.

Yosuke looked at him, "Oh, now it dawns on you?"

"You did choose this, Yosuke," Souji said.

Yosuke looked at Souji, "Your turn… What type of girls do you like?"

"Someone like Yukiko, of course," like Souji could answer any other way.

"Thanks…," Yukiko smiled, but she was blushing regardless.

Chie looked at Kanji, "Your turn, Kanji-kun."

"We all know what this answer is going to be like…," Souji thought.

"Uh, well, I," Kanji was stuttering, "I… I guess someone who's kinda mysterious, and looks strong but's actually kinda…"

While everyone in the "group" shook their heads, Yosuke rubbed his forehead, "Yeah, I really wonder who you're talking about."

Souji decided to have some fun. He asked Chie, "Is there anyone you like here?"

She was flustered, "Huh? Why are you asking me that all of a sudden? I can't answer that here."

This did pique Souji's interest and cut his options to about two people.

"Wasn't that the point of this café?" Souji asked, "To pair people together?"

Chie sighed in frustration.

Everyone's heads were down in disappointment as Rion and Rise walked to the doorway to see how things were going. Seeing the empty room and Yosuke with the girls; Rion knew it was time to bail, and as fast as he could with Rise.

"How you doing, Senpai… ohh… well…," Rise was saying before Rion whispered in her ear.

"It's probably best if we run away now," Rion said.

"Well… seeya," Rise said, as she grabbed a hold of Rion's arm and ran out the door.

Souji saw the scene, "Lucky bastard!" he muttered at seeing him completely getting out of this.

Yosuke muttered, "Mark it. The group date café is officially a failure!"

Souji did decide to walk around with Yukiko and talk with his other friends as he toured the school.

He met up with Kou and Daisuke, and the four of them checked out a group of local artifacts a class set out.

"This is way cooler than what our class did," Kou said, "We did a freakin' play. What's up with that?"

"Even that's better than what we did," Yukiko rolled her eyes.

"It's too late to complain though, Piglet," Daisuke told Kou.

"It's not Piglet! It's Hamlet! How'd I get stuck with that role anyways?" Kou complained. He continued, "And who the hell came up with this play!? "Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet"… Dude, they all die anyways."

"Well, you got the role, cause Hamlet is nobility…," Souji snickered.

"Oh, shut up!" Kou complained.

Daisuke tried to defuse Kou's situation, "Chill out, dude. Tomorrow's going to be way more exciting, right Souji?"

Yukiko started laughing, "Snrk… Ahahaha!"

Souji whispered that she had to be in one too, and Yukiko rapped him on the head.

Kou started laughing too, "For sure! I'm going to be rooting for you in that beauty contest."

Daisuke chimed in, "Remember, first place or bust!"

That depressed drama girl, Yukiko, and Souji all entered a haunted classroom, but they left the depressed girl in the haunted classroom.

"Srnk…," Yukiko laughed, "Is she always like that?"

"Pretty much," Souji said.

They went to a fortune telling booth. They met up with the girl that Souji always used to skip class with, Ai.

"The long-nosed fortune teller?" Ai said skeptically, "Oh come on. Who'd believe crap like that?"

"You never know, Ebihara," Yukiko said, staring her down.

A female chuckled from the inside, and reminded Souji of someone he knew, "You're a confident one."

Ai reconsidered, "Hm, maybe you are pretty good. You wanna challenge me? I bet you can't win."

"Overestimating your competence will only work against you, miss," the voice said again.

Ai pulled her hair back, "I'll take that as your acceptance! I'll challenge you to read one fortune, no time limit! If I win, which I will, I'm going to destroy this stand. The subject of this fortune is… Souji's relationship with girls." She looked at Yukiko and Souji.

The voice chuckled, "If that's the case, I most certainly have the advantage."

"What does that mean?" Ai asked.

"Yes, what does that mean?" Yukiko asked Souji with a penetrating look.

"Uhh… Actually, I don't know," Souji answered. Yukiko rolled her eyes.

Ai lost, and Souji looked inside the stand. It was Margaret and Igor inside the stand.

"What the hell are you two doing in here?" Souji asked, "Shouldn't you be in the train?"

"We're taking a break," Igor told him, "My nose needs a vacation."

Margaret chuckled, "I just came to see you in your pageant."

Souji shook his head, "How the hell does everyone know about that?"

After a tiring day, he was glad to sleep, but he had nightmares about the next day. It would be cross-dressing time. Dojima said that Nanako was looking forward to tomorrow, but that only gave Souji nightmares.

With even more trepidation, Souji headed to school on Sunday for the dreaded pageant. The only upside was that there was a real pageant coming afterwards. The bad part about that was the fact there would an obese pig filling the whole freakin' stage and an over the hill teacher who doesn't deserve to be there.

Everyone except Rion walked into classroom 2-2, and oddly enough, Teddie joined them. Souji had a bad feeling about this.

The guys were just standing around, so Chie gestured over, "Why are you guys just standing there? Come on, hurry up and sit down!"

Rise took up the job of dressing Kanji, "C'mon Kanji-kun. Over here!"

Souji looked relieved that Rise wasn't dressing him, "She'll over do it. Too much makeup and she'll forget we're guys."

The guys started walking over to their places.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you," Yukiko said soothingly as Souji walked over to her.

"Oh, by the way, where's Rion?" Chie asked.

"He'll be here in a minute," Souji explained, "He had to get off work. It is a Sunday, after all."

"Ohh…," Chie said as Teddie asked, "What about me?"

As everyone looked at Teddie, he said, "It turns out I'm entering this too. I must win this contest to see my dream realized."

To get their explanation, Yosuke said, "He seemed bored, so we signed him up as a last-minute contestant."

Chie looked at Yosuke with piercing eyes, "So, you're making him suffer too, huh? Well, if he's been signed up, there's nothing we can do about it." She turned to the detective, "Naoto-kun, can you lend us a hand? We'll leave Teddie to you."

At that point, Rion had entered the classroom, the door sliding shut.

"M…Me?" Naoto looked confused.

"The Naoto-Teddie team's unstoppable," Teddie exclaimed.

"Oh shit, we're screwed…," Rion shook his head, "A girl who dresses like a guy, dressing a guy like a girl. We are going to lose."

Everyone looked at him like he was crazy. Souji realized that Rion was probably right though. They had lost before they had begun.

Naoto answered Teddie, "Well then, um…"

While Naoto looked around for what to do, Teddie explained, "First, I need some dazzling makeup!"

"Y… You're right. Then I'll go borrow a make-up kit from someone," Naoto said. She ran off to find someone to mooch off of.

Teddie yelled as Naoto ran off, "Wait! The battle begins by choosing the right equipment!"

"That sounds so wrong, Teddie!" Souji told him as Teddie ran off after the detective.

Rion sighed, "I guess I have to work for myself, as usual," figuring he doesn't have a partner. He thought to himself, "Actually, I was figuring of stealing Naoto as a partner. Who else but someone who dresses like a boy to make me a girl?"

Chie ignored Rion and said, "Ooh, we got to use fake eyelashes, right?"

"Y… Yeah, bring it on!" Yosuke said nervously.

---

The time came for the pageant to start and the suspense was palpable. All the girls and the rest of the school had seemed to come out and wait for the guy/girls to show off. A weird MC with a pink Afro would be announcing everything. That pink-haired dude scared Souji.

Kashiwagi said as she chuckled, "So it begins."

The MC announced, "Ladies and gentlemen! We now begin the second day of the Culture Festival with the ever-popular "Miss" Yasogami High Pageant!" He took a breath and said from the center of the stage, "Let's get right down to it and introduce our first contestant!" The MC walked over to the far right side of the stage to prepare for the contestants to walk in and take center-stage.

The MC started off, "She's a runaway express train who's Inaba born and bred, and can kill with both her fists and her looks! Presenting Kanji-chan of the first-year Class 3!"  
Kanji came walking out in a very un-lady like manner wearing high heels, a light purple dress with a deep v-cut dress, and copious amounts of blush and lipstick. His blond hair was done with curls. It looked like a disaster. The laughter from the crowd was enormous.

"'Sup!" He greeted the crowd.

One the girls screamed out, "Gyah!"

Another girl screeched, "Eww… That's so creepy!"

A guy told some others, "This is wrong on every level."

"I don't think you did a very good job, Rise-chan," Chie said.

"I guess not," Rise dipped her head down.

The MC sounded a little scared, but he asked, "Now, don't rip me apart for asking, but… What do you think is your best feature?"

"My eyes?" Kanji responded.

The crowd burst out laughing as the MC said, "Whoa! A conventional answer from this all-too-unconventional beauty."

The MC moved on, "After such a strong start, I don't know how much of a chance the others have, but here's our second contestant!" You could tell he was joking.

"An eloquent heiress from the noble Junes, she's pure disappointment from the moment she opens her mouth!" the MC continued, "Presenting Yosuke-chan of the second-year Class 2!" The words "pure disappointment" made Chie shake her head.

As Yosuke walked up, you could tell he was dressed by Chie. He was wearing short brown shoes, with long black socks, but with a short red skirt. He had a red ribbon on the failure of the sort of white blouse-looking thing that Yosuke was wearing. The hair… well not much could be done with the hair. It looked like Chie stuck a scrunchy in the back to give some semblance of a girly look for Yosuke.

"H…Hi!" Yosuke said in an attempt to act girly with his fake girly voice.

"Holy Crap!" one girl yelled.

Another girl said, "And here I thought Yosuke-senpai would be able to pull it off!"

A boy laughed, "It's terrifying… I can just imagine someone like him sitting across from me on a train!"

The MC chuckled, "Now, you look ready to win in that outfit… Do you often dress like this?"

"Hell no!" Yosuke had lost his composure. He tried to regain it, "Like, no way!"

As the crowd burst out laughing again, even louder, Kanji spoke to Yosuke, "What is with this? We're laughingstocks up here!"

"What did you think this was about?" Yosuke responded scathingly.

"Another failure," Chie shook her head.

The MC went on, "I've already had about enough of this, but there's still plenty more to come! Up next, our third contestant!"

"She has the mildly bitter tang of the city, and she has made more girls cry than there are stars in the sky! Presenting our transfer student who's been breaking hearts in the second-year Class 2, Souji-chan!"

Souji was not amused by all the laughter as he walked out. His silver hair was extended and reached past his shoulders. He was wearing a long version of the winter school uniform. He had a kendo sword for some reason… Probably because he used a sword in the TV, but he thought it would suit Rion better. "What the hell is up with that?" he wondered, "And why the hell do I have braids?"

"No more!" one girl squealed.

One admirer shuddered, "Senpai, why are you doing this?"

Souji muttered, "I'm being forced to…"

A boy said, "Whoa! I thought he was cooler than that"

The MC was surprised, "Sounds like your entrance is causing quite a stir! Did you sign yourself up?"

"I did not sign myself up," Souji told him, "I was forced."

"Tell them Chie Satonaka did it!" Yosuke yelled, "Damn that Kashiwagi! How dare she tear away our innocence like this! Now I'm scarred for life, dammit!"

The MC was annoyed by the chatter, but moved on, "Anyways, our fourth contestant is coming up right now!"

"She's a lady who can burn you with fire and ice. She's got the smarts and she's got the skill. She'll blow you away. Presenting from the second-year Class 2 with third-year studies, Rion-chan."

Rion walked across to the middle of the stage as people chuckled at him. Rion really didn't do anything to his hair. Styling it was quite enough. He used a little foundation and rouge. His long black skirt was almost like pants, and his blouse could almost be considered a shirt.

"Is he trying to kind of look like you?" Chie asked Naoto.

Naoto stared at him. He was making fun of her again. "His hair even kind of looks like mine," Naoto thought.

A girl looked at Rion, "Man, even the smartest kid in the school is in this? He even made himself actually kind of presentable."

A guy said, "Man, what the hell is with this? Even Rion is in this? I didn't expect that."

Another guy looked at him, "He can actually make himself look like a girl, well sort of."

"Dude, don't say that…," the first guy said, "It's freaky."

Souji heard the guy who was talking about liking Naoto, "Is it me, or does he look kind of like Naoto-chan?"

Naoto swore a blood oath to kill Rion. But she wouldn't be able to carry that out.

The MC asked, "So… What kind of guy do you like?"

Rion smiled, "I like girls," Rion said. He thought, "Not like I had a chance in hell of winning anyways. I saw Teddie beforehand."

The crowd burst out laughing at his response of liking girls.

"No way!" a girl said, "That's hilarious!"

"Well, never mind then. Let's move on," The MC said, "Our last contestant is a random "unaffiliated" entrant! She's a friend of our other "beauties"! Calling herself "King of the TV World," she's a cute, sexy little number! Give a warm welcome to Teddie-chan!

Teddie came skipping onto stage will all his charm on full blast.

"We are so screwed," Souji muttered at seeing Teddie on stage.

"Tell me about it," Rion responded, "Naoto dressed Teddie. What did you expect?"

He was wearing an "Alice in Wonderland" costume with hair extensions that reached down to his waist. His short black shoes made him the perfect girl. After what seemed about six hours of prancing back and forth, Teddie said with all his charm, "Gimme your hearts!"

A girl seemed confused, "Huh? That's a boy?"

Another girl said unbelievingly, "He's so cute!"

A boy said, "I'd hit it!"

Souji shook his head, "That's so wrong."

After the MC passed out the ballots, everyone checked who they thought was the winner, and they were collected the ballots. Rion and Souji both thought it was extremely pointless to even hand out ballots.

It was time for the champion to be announced, "And the winner of this year's "Miss Yasogami Pageant is… The random contestant who stole everyone's heart, Ms. Teddie!"  
Teddie started prancing a little, and the spotlights shined on Teddie.

"As our champion, Ms. Teddie will receive a very special prize," the MC spoke, "Later this afternoon, we will be hosting the Miss Yasogami Pageant, with actual beauties this time! Your reward is a position as an honorary judge in that pageant!"

"Woohoo!" Teddie sounded excited.

Yosuke shook his head, "An honorary judge? That's one lame prize for what you gotta go through."

Chie said at the happy Teddie, "Not everyone can get that happy about an honorary judge position."

Yukiko replied, "Seeing him so happy makes me kinda happy too."

Rise said happily, "Yeah, he's like over the top innocent."

The MC asked, "Well then Ms. Teddie, how does it feel to win the pageant and become an honorary judge?"

Teddie was contemplating and said, "Hmhmhm… The long-awaited day has finally come! I decree that one of the judging critera later this afternoon will be…" Teddie spun around, "Tadaa! A swimsuit competition!"

The whole crowd was in shock, and a huge roar erupted from the male population.

"Wh… Wh… What the hell!? Over my dead body!" Chie yelled.

Rise seemed genuinely disappointed, "Aww… I didn't bring a swimsuit."

Yukiko was in Chie's corner, "That bear needs to be disappeared…"

Naoto was unimpressed, "Well, I doubt he has the authority to declare that unilaterally."

Kashiwagi seemed to like it and was chuckling, "This is great! I love the direction this is going!"

The girls were in the dressing room. The girls that fought together were standing together in the back while Kashiwagi was off by the front of the classroom. Hanako was off to another side of the classroom, making a huge indentation in the whole classroom.

"Dress yourselves up as well as best as you can, you little brats!" Kashiwagi sneered.

Chie rolled her eyes, "What is she, the rival lover on a soap opera? Wait, is Kashiwagi serious about winning this?"

At that point, a female rep entered with a bag full of swimsuits from Junes. "Mr. Teddie dropped this off," the girl said, "He said that they're swimsuits."

Chie stepped back, "Hey! We don't need them!"

Kashiwagi started laughing, loudly at that, "Hahahaha! My mature charms will win the day! I brought my own swimsuit, of course."

"I brought my own too," Hanako said.

"Oh my god… I did not want that picture in my head!" Rise thought to herself.

"When I see that, it will scar me for life!" Yukiko imagined.

"What's with these people?" Chie asked.

Yukiko tried to get out of it, "Hey… let's not do this."

Kashiwagi saw this as a chance to eliminate the competition, "What's that? Getting cold feet? Wise of you to back out of a competition you can't win." She looked at Rise, "You call yourself an idol… But you're just jailbait with no brains, no guts, and especially no figure."

Rise was astounded, "What!?" Rise thought, "I should win this hands down. I have multiple reasons to."

Hanako continued the bashing, "There's no way their type would be crowned Miss Inaba. Why not just let them back out?"

Yukiko and Chie turned around with Chie exclaiming, "And I suppose you think you're going to take the crown!? You little… snoring pig!"

Hanako snorted, "Snoring? What are you talking about? Your face is as foul as your mouth, and your brain is rotten to boot!"

Chie yelled, "We went through hell because of you! Th… That's it! Now I'm pissed!"

"Oh? You're going to challenge me? It's useless. Don't waste your energy," Hanako responded, "Let this be a warning to the others too. You're going to lose. Now's your last chance to run away."

"R… Run away? Why the hell would we run away from someone like you?" Chie yelled.

Yukiko muttered, "Well… We did kinda run away the last time."

Chie responded, "That's what I'm saying! We gotta stand our ground and get our revenge for that! How can we cower and hide when they're picking a fight?"

"Y…Yeah!" Yukiko got some confidence

"Right, Rise-chan? Naoto-kun!? We won't run from this, right!?" Chie asked.

Rise nodded in agreement, but when they looked at Naoto, she was taken aback. Her voice was raised when she answered, "Huh? Me too? Why are you letting yourselves be so easily provoked? Th…Th…There's no way! Absolutely. No. Way. That I'm wearing a swimsuit!"

Chie advanced towards the dimunitive first-year, "You're not goin' anywhere!" They were not letting Naoto back out.

"No…," Naoto thought, "Why is this happening… I feel like Rion is haunting me from far away."

So, the beauty pageant began.

They had introduced Kashiwagi and Hanako first. Much puking and boos had followed after those introductions. Souji wondered why an old hag and Hanako bothered to enter. If Yosuke hadn't signed those girls else up, he wondered who would have won. They probably would have canceled the competition, in retrospect. "No one would have come," Souji thought.

"They are disgusting," Yosuke said.

Rion said, "If you think this is bad, wait until the swimsuit competition."

Rion handed one of the paper bags the crowd were given before the "Miss" pageant to throw up in for Yosuke to use.

"Did not need that image in my brain…," Yosuke shuddered.

The MC had interrupted the pair's conversation, "But that's not all for the Culture Festival's Main Event! There's still more to come in the Miss Yasogami Pageant! The judging continues! Can you hear the crowd going wild!?"

Now the real cheers began as they knew the real competitors were coming.

"Now for our next contestant, Ms. Chie Satonaka of the second-year Class 2! Come on out, Chie!"

Chie walked out in her holiday clothing, "H…Hi, I'm Chie Satonaka."

There were quite a few cheers.

The MC asked, "Tell us a little bit about yourself!"

"Um, I'm kind of shy and reserved… And my favorite food is… pudding."

There were more cheers from the raucous crowd.

Yosuke accused her from afar, "That liar… It's steak! She's a loudmouth."

"I think we know, Yosuke," Souji replied to him.

"Thank you very much!" The MC said.

"Up next, another contestant from Class 2, Miss Yukiko Amagi!" The MC announced.

"H…Hello, my name is Yukiko Amagi," Yukiko said shyly as she walked out, "Um, my family runs the Amagi Inn. If you ever find yourself in the area, please give us a visit. Our hot-springs our open to the public year-round, so whenever you're in the mood to enjoy them, please drop by."

The cheers for her were very loud indeed.

"Nice," Souji said.

"You would say that," Yosuke responded.

"Alright, that'll do nicely!" The MC said.

"Next up, a very-familiar face from the first-year Class 2, Ms. Rise Kujikawa!"

The boys seemed to be quite happy to see her walk across the stage in her blouse and capri pants.

"Hi…hi! My name is Rise Kujikawa! I haven't been in town very long, but it's a great place and I'm 100% thrilled to be here! So sorry that I'm not working as an idol right now! Risette's gonna do her best, so I hope you'll all cheer for me," Rise presented with her hands waving, staring at her friends.

The roar was extremely loud as the MC said, "The real Risette, ladies and gentlemen, in the flesh! Thank you very much!" He seemed to be a fan himself.

"What do you think Rion?" Souji asked him.

"Huh?" Rion opened his eyes, "Are you talking to me?"

"Yes!" Souji was annoyed, "What do you think of Rise out there!?"

"She's nice, but she's too flamboyant sometimes," Rion muttered.

"He can read her like a book…," Souji thought, "He's been working with her on something."

"Next is the mysterious transfer student of the first-year's Class 1, Ms. Naoto Shirogane!"

Kanji was poked by Yosuke as Yosuke said, "Hey, Kanji… Here she comes…"

"Hey, shhh! Pipe down!" Kanji seemed to be paying very close attention to the arrival of Naoto.

Rion chuckled at all of their shenanigans.

Naoto walked across the stage. She was wearing her normal outfit, sans one important thing! Her hat! That was what Kanji was focusing on.

"I…I'm Naoto Shirogane," The epitome of shyness captured in a person. She was trying to look above everyone, and to not look at anyone directly. Unfortunately, her eyes kept drifting downwards, "It's hard to believe I'm up on a stage at a pageant like this. This is beyond my wildest imaginings… I…I really don't know what to say." She looked at the MC, "Can I step back now?" She asked shyly. The MC nodded, and she stepped back quickly.

There were quite a few cheers for her too.

"Wh…Whoa!" Kanji said. He was in awe of Naoto.

"Hehehe…," Rion chuckled at Naoto, "Is that all?" he questioned, "I'm disappointed in her presentation."

Souji rolled his eyes, "Were you expecting something better, Rion?"

Kanji hit Rion on the shoulder, "Leave Naoto alone." Souji rolled his eyes.

"And with that, all six uniquely beautiful contestants are on stage! Now, let's have our special judge, Mr. Teddie, ask them some questions."

Teddie came walking onto the stage with a microphone that was provided to him by the MC.

"I told Teddie beforehand to ignore Hanako and Kashiwagi," Rion said, "They have no chance in hell, anyways."

"Good idea," Souji said.

Teddie cleared his throat, "I am Teddie, your honorary judge for this pageant. Please keep in mind that if you anger me, you will be at a disadvantage.

Teddie directed his first question towards the bowl-cut martial artist in green, "Well, Ms. Chie. Do you have a boyfriend?"

This question obviously had nothing to do with the pageant and Chie was obviously flustered by it, "Wha..!? T… Teddie, you!"

"What kind of question was that?" Yosuke asked to no one in particular.

Teddie directed his next question to Yukiko, "Ms. Yukiko, have you ever smooched someone before?"

"Huh!? S… Stop it!" Yukiko exclaimed in hush tones. She knew the answer to that question. Everyone else in the group did too. It was a pointless question. Those lips had touched Souji's.

"Idiot bear…," Souji said.

The bear asked Naoto the next question, "Ms. Naoto, where are you ticklish?"

"I… I beg your pardon?" Naoto was confused and flustered.

"Rion, do you know where?" Souji asked in jest.

"Nope," Rion answered, "I can figure out a lot, but I'm not stupid enough to try and figure that out."

"I bet Kanji would love to hear where if you found out," Souji chuckled.

Rion just rolled his eyes, but looked at Kanji to see if he wanted to know.

The final question was directed to the idol, "Can I stay at your house next time, Rise-chan?"

"What kind of a question is that?" Rise asked back.

Souji looked at Rion, "I bet she'd let you stay at her house, Rion."

"Actually, I don't doubt that," Rion responded.

The silence was heavy until the announcer intervened. He even seemed perturbed by Teddie's questioning. "A… Anyways, I have a surprise announcement for you all! Wait 'til you hear this! For this first time ever, this year's pageant will feature a swimsuit competition. And it's all thanks to Mr. Teddie here!"

The crowd looked quite happy (males) and cheered as the MC said, "We'll take a brief break as our contestants put on their swimsuits and be back in a few moments."

When Hanako and Kashiwagi came out in their swimsuits, much more puking and vomiting occurred. Many were rushed to the hospital in pain. Their condition was labeled as serious, and they were taken to the ICU. It was quite a relief to see a pretty girl in the area as Chie walked on stage in a similar suit than what she wore in the camping trip. The yellow, white, and green ensemble with green shorts.

"Ahaha… H… Hi," Chie said as she faced the crowd.

The crowd was cheering her on.

"Ooooh," Yosuke said.

"You sound like a dirty old man," Kanji told him, "Chie-senpai is cute, though."

"I think she looks really cute," Yosuke said.

"What's this?" Souji asked, "Does Yosuke…?" he was cut off as Yosuke hit him on the head.

"Shut up!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"Well… Chie does think she likes somebody…," Souji thought rubbing his head.

The next girl to come on stage was Yukiko. Souji was transfixed on her, of course.

When she stopped, she was apologizing for her shyness it seemed, "I… I'm sorry."

She was still receiving rave reviews from the crowd though.

"Sorry for what?" Yosuke asked. He seemed to still enjoy the show, "This is great!"

"Wow, Yukiko-senpai… She's exactly how I'd imagine she'd be," Kanji said.

Souji knocked Kanji on the head this time.

"Well, I guess Souji knows even more about Yukiko than we do, don't you?" Yosuke joked.

"You really don't know when to shut up, do you?" Souji asked as he hit him again.

Rise was the next to walk up on stage in an orange swimsuit with small yellow flowers on it. She was flashy as usual with arms waving.

"Yoohoo, heere's Risette!" she exclaimed as she turned and waved with both arms.

The cheer she got from the boys was even louder than the last two.

Yosuke seemed to pretty much agree on the looks department, "Whoa, this isn't fair! An idol has that glow to her that other girls don't have!"

"Really?" Kanji didn't seem convinced.

Souji asked Rion, "Did you see that look from Rise when you worked with her? I mean she looks at you all the time, and you were helping her all the time."

"Ehh…, whatever," Rion shrugged his shoulders.

It seems the group, everyone on the stage, and the rest of the crowd were all waiting for Naoto to arrive. Naoto didn't seem to be showing.

"Huh…?" The MC was confused by Naoto's whereabouts, "Ms. Naoto," he called out, "She's not coming out."

The MC went to check on the detective.

"I wonder if he went to see if she got stuck or something," Souji thought, "She probably can't fit into the bathing suit anyways. The way Rion was chuckling at the hospital pretty much confirms that."

The MC had come back, "Well, sad news, everyone, but Ms. Naoto won't be coming out for this portion."

There were murmurs and rumblings of disappointment going through the crowd.

Kashiwagi had her own take, "Fine by me! The fewer rivals I have to crush, the better!"

Yosuke shrugged his shoulders, "Oh well, I had a feeling this would happen." He looked at the black-clad blond, "Too bad, Kanji."

"Huh? No, um… well, yeah…," Kanji was muttering. He answered, "But don't you think it was brave of her to at least show up in the first round?"

"Yeah, you're right," Yosuke admitted.

Rion seemed to have a different take, "She'll get a hell of a lot of sympathy votes. But I expected a hell of a lot better."

Yosuke looked at everyone, "Well, I know who Kanji is voting for, and I know Souji is voting for Yukiko." He looked at Rion, "Who are you voting for?"

"Does it matter?" Rion asked, "Maybe I shouldn't vote for anyone, and not upset the system. Since you will be voting for Chie, maybe I shall just give a vote for Rise to split votes between all four boys."

"Wow, he's thought this out," Souji said.

"Anyways, we all know who's going to win regardless," Rion said as they turned in their votes, "It won't be us who decides it."

"What do you mean?" Souji asked.

"It'll be the girls who decide the winner, not the guys," Rion said.

The votes were now being tabulated by the judges.

"Thanks for waiting, everyone!" The MC announced, "The results are in!"

The cheering got loud as the drums started rolling, "Looking at the way the vote went. You guys out in the audience had a hard time picking a favorite! Lots of different opinions, with every one of our contestants having their own enthusiastic supporters! On the other hand, it looks like you girls were all thinking the same thing! And so there's a clear winner!"

Drum rolls begin in earnest.

"Grand prize goes to… Ms. Naoto Shirogane!" Shock and awe filled the contestants and crowd as cheers rang out, "Her androgynous charms seemed to have won most of the girls' hearts. We'd like to present Ms. Naoto with her award now, but it looks like she stepped outside."

Chie put her head down, "She won even though she dropped out of the last part." She chuckled, "Ahaha, that's pretty funny."

Rise shrugged, "Man, losing to Naoto… Well, I guess I didn't appeal to the girls that much. Oh well!" She told Chie, "I think it's enough that we beat those two hands down, Senpai!"

Kashiwagi seemed to be losing it, "Grr… I… How could I lose a beauty pageant!?"

Hanako seemed no better as she turned to Kashiwagi through her snorting, "Ms. Kashiwagi… I… I can't believe this!"

Kashiwagi turned to Hanako, "Neither can I! Oh, Hanako!"

The tears started flowing, "M... Ms. Kashiwagi!"

"What the hell…?" Souji muttered, "What's with those two?"

After the pageant, they found Naoto, dragged her to the stage, and gave her the prize. They were all wearing normal clothes again; Naoto was wearing her hat, and were now gathered around a booth on the 1st floor.

Nanako had found Souji and ran up towards him, "Oh, big bro!" Dojima came up behind Nanako.

"Hey, little sis," Souji responded.

"Ah, good thing we found you," Dojima said.

"What's up, Dojima-san?" he asked.

"I've got to make a business trip to the prefectural office, and I won't be back until tomorrow. Shame it had to fall during your school's Cultural Festival. Nanako and I were both looking forward to it. Sorry to dump this on you, but could you show Nanako around?"

"That's fine with me," Souji said.

"Would you like to walk around with us, Nanako-chan?" Yukiko asked.

"Can I?" Nanako seemed a little taken aback by their kindness.

"Of course you can," Souji said.

"Thanks. Then I'm gonna get going," Dojima told Souji.

As he turned to leave, Nanako wished him, "Have a safe trip!"

"Yeah, you have fun too, Nanako," Dojima wished his daughter.

"Okay, Dad!" She said gleefully.

Yukiko gestured to Nanako and asked, "Hey Nanako-chan, why don't you come over and stay at my place tonight?"

It seemed to be a surprising topic of conversation.

"Huh? Huh? Huh? What did you say, Yuki-chan!?" Teddie asked.

Yukiko gave Teddie a look. I think she didn't want to extend the invitation to Teddie.

But Rise took Nanako's invitation for them as well, "Ooh, a celebration at your inn!?" she exclaimed.

"Is that okay with you?" Kanji asked.

Yukiko thought it over and said, "Uh huh, I promised you guys a while ago, so yeah."

"Hell yeah! I'm down!" Yosuke sounded excited.

"It sounds great," Souji said, "I can definitely come."

Teddie asked, "Can I boil eggs in the hot springs!?"

Even Naoto sounded optimistic, "Oh, I should call my Grampa and let him know! It's just one night, right?"

"I can be there. I don't have to work tonight," Rion said.

Yukiko coerced Nanako, "C'mon, it'll be fun. Everyone will be there."

"Can I…?" Nanako asked Souji, looking up at her big bro.

"Of course you can. It's time for Hot Springs!" Souji told her.

"Let's go! I wanna spend the night!" Nanako sounded exuberant.

Teddie was excited, "Whee! Hot Springs! Yukata! Flushed Skins!"

Rion rolled his eyes and he said, "That's Teddie for you."

Chie looked skeptical, "Are you sure it's okay? I mean, isn't it still the busy season?"

Yukiko responded, "We've had fewer visitors this year. There are still some open rooms, too."

Chie answered, "Oh, okay… Might as well, then! Man, when was the last time I stayed at Yukiko's place?"

The group seemed generally excited about the trip to the Amagi Inn.

"So are we getting food from the wait staff, or from Yukiko? I want to survive, you know." Souji asked.

"That's a good point, now that you think about it," Yosuke added.

"The wait staff, you jerks," Yukiko said, hitting Souji and Yosuke on the heads.

The group headed off to the Amagi Inn, still in high spirits.

---

When they arrived and finished eating fine dining, and edible fine dining at that; the boys headed to their room. They were now decked out in their yukata. Teddie seemed disappointed.

"Aww… we're in different rooms," he showed his apparent dissatisfaction with the room situation. Souji felt that he and Yukiko should have had a private room.

"Well… Duh!" Yosuke said, stating the obvious.

"It's one thing if they were next door, but they're so far away!" Teddie lamented.

"Well, Yukiko did say there weren't that many open rooms available," Souji explained, "So, they're up on another floor. I guess they're taking little sis to the hot springs first."

Teddie asked excitedly, "Is it one of those "girls and guys together" springs!?"

"No, it isn't," Rion said, "You'd probably have to go to someplace like Shirakawa Boulevard to do that."

"Oh, don't remind me of Shirakawa Boulevard," Souji said, "It reminds me of the nightclub."

"Ooh!" Teddie remembered, "That was you!" he pointed at Rion, "Do you have anymore of your special drink?"

"Afraid I don't, well not with me," Rion winked.

"You mean you have more of that at home?" Kanji asked, "You're underage."

Rion shrugged, "It's not like I drink it".

Souji smirked, "So, are you lying again?"

Rion rolled his eyes

Kanji shook his head, "I don't wanna take more'n one bath if I don't have to. Why don't we take a dip before we hit the sack?"

"Yeah," Yosuke agreed.

Souji nodded, "Sounds like a good idea to me."

Kanji looked around, "By the way… 'sup with this room? It looks pretty expensive."

Everyone else looked around the room, gazing at the amenities.

"Oh, you thought so too? Normally a room like this wouldn't be open during the busy season…," Yosuke agreed, "I was trying not to think about it, but… You don't think something happened here, do you?"

Kanji looked at Yosuke, "Senpai? What are you all quiet about?"

Yosuke looked around, "Now that you mention it…" The group was surprised by the phone ringing in the hotel room.

"Geez… That freaked me out. You answer it, Kanji," Yosuke said.

"What are you freaking out for?" Kanji asked. He was obviously unnerved as well by the ringing.

"Just answer the damn phone!" Souji yelled.

Kanji got up and went to pick up the phone that was ringing off the hook. His hands were shaking.

"Hello!?" Kanji asked loudly.

"The hot springs are now available for the men to use," the receptionist told Kanji.

"Oh, I see! Cool, thanks!"

"Goodbye," the receptionist ended the conversation, "Your welcome."

Kanji put down the phone and gestured to the group, "That was the front desk." The group collectively rolled their eyes, "Said the hot springs should be pretty empty right now."

Yosuke shook his head and sighed, "Wow, Amagi Inn, great service… I broke out in a cold sweat."

"Let's go wash off your sweat, then," Souji said.

As Kanji and Yosuke walked off, Rion left to take care of something.

Teddie and Souji began to speak, "I can't wait to take a bath with everyone," Teddie told Souji, "We'll all face the same way and wash each other's back, and we're going to sing songs while looking at Mt. Fuji, right?"

"That's a bath house, right?" Souji responded.

Teddie reflected, "Man, everything on this side is so fun. It's all thanks to you for bringing people over to my side. Thank you, Sensei."

"You're welcome…"

"C'mooon! The elevator's here!" Yosuke yelled.

As the group walked to the elevator, the group noticed that Rion still had his walking stick/staff with him.

"Dude, do you carry that with you everywhere?" Yosuke asked, "I mean… Do you expect to be killing Shadows at the Inn?"

"No, it's for a different reason," Rion told them.

"Oh, yeah… it looks like you broke something," Souji said.

"I've permanently damaged my left knee and leg. So, unless I use the stick, it hurts like hell," Rion explained, "I've broken it a few times."

"So, how do you fight without it, I mean running and swinging it, and stuff?" Kanji asked.

"Adrenaline, I guess," Rion said.

"How about in school?" Yosuke asked.

"You just deal with the pain," Rion shrugged.

"I'm so bear-y sorry for you," Teddie lamented.

"Thanks," Rion said as got on the elevator with them, "I'll catch up with you guys once we get in the bath. I have to remove the bandages I wrapped around them."

"Cry me a river," Souji thought.

---

Meanwhile, at the hot springs all the girls were in the water.

The girls were in a circle, but Naoto was shying away from the others. Yukiko tried to coax the shy girl, "Come on over, there's plenty of room."

"Huh, Oh, o… okay," Naoto was reluctant, but giving into the others' requests. She still, however, didn't turn around.

Rise came forward and was surprised, "Wow, Naoto, your skin looks so soft. Can I touch? Can I touch?"

Chie and Yukiko joined Rise as Naoto got more nervous, "Huh? U… Um…"

Yukiko replied to the feel of Naoto's skin, "Wow, it really is smooth."

"You're so lucky. You have such fair skin and silky hair…," Chie was jealous.

"No unneeded body fat either," Rise chimed in.

Naoto freaked out, "Eek! H… Hey! Where are you touching?" She tried to divert the attention from her, "Ahem, N… Nanako-chan!" Naoto went over to Nanako and asked, "Are you okay with staying over at someone else's place like this? Aren't you scared?"

Nanako replied cheerfully, "No, it's lots of fun! At home, I'm always alone until big bro comes back!"

"Oh… I… see," Naoto said a little worriedly.

Nanako told Naoto, "But I'm good at staying home alone! I always do what my dad tells me, like not opening the door for strangers."

"Wow! I bet he's so proud of you!" Chie exclaimed.

Yukiko asked, "Hey, Nanako-chan. Do you want to swim around?"

"Can I?" Nanako asked expectantly.

"I've been swimming here since I was young," Yukiko answered her.

"Do you still do it?" Nanako asked.

"Huh? Umm…," Yukiko looked around. She looked like she hadn't done it a long time.

"Why are you hesitating?" Chie asked Yukiko.

Rise looked excited, "C'mon! Let's race to the other side! Whoever loses owes everyone a fruit milk!"

"I want lemon soda!" Yukiko exclaimed.

"Uh, wh… what? Me too!" Chie seconded her.

They all swam to the other side together. They purposely lost to Nanako-chan. They were all circled together again. Rise was alone on the far side of the springs, away from the wall.

"Check out my dead man's float!" she exclaimed as she lay out on the water.

"Wow, you're good!" Nanako told her.

The group was interrupted by someone else's loud cry.

"Ooh, what a giant spring! I'll show you all my Teddie-paddle!" It seemed that the bear had entered the hot springs area, and while the girls were still in there at that. Teddie jumped into the springs, right between Naoto and Yukiko.

"Ow… What the…!? HUH!?" Yukiko yelled.

Teddie stood as Souji, Yosuke, and Kanji walked up to the front of the springs.

Surprise on the girls faces to see the four walking up to the springs would be an understatement.

"Y… Y… You guys!?" Chie was shocked.

Yosuke seemed shocked as well, "Wh… Wh… Wh… Why are you guys here!?"

"Th… That's my line!" Chie returned as the eight and Nanako confronted each other.

The girls went backwards grabbed a seemingly endless amount of water buckets and threw them at the boys.

"Damn! This hurts!" Yosuke yelled, "What do we do, Souji!?"

"Hold the line, men!" Souji yelled.

"I don't know how much more I can take of this!" Kanji yelled.

"This is unbearable!" Teddie said.

"We have to retreat!" as Souji's said as his head seemed to cave in from the bucket barrage.

"Retreat!" Teddie yelled.

"It's an honest mistake!" Kanji yelled as he was pelted again.

"We're not gonna forget this!" Yosuke yelled with a dent in his forehead.

As the group ran back, they ran past Rion who was walking slowly on his staff. Rion asked Souji, who was badly bruised, "What's going on?"

"Don't go in there!" he exclaimed as he ran past him.

"Huh, what do you mean by not going in there?" Rion shrugged and walked in.

"What!?" Rise looked at Rion who had just walked in, "Naoto! Hand me another bucket!"

Naoto was blushing at the appearance of Rion and was turned away, "R… Right..."

"W… What the hell is this!?" Rion shook his head at the girls and then noticed the bucket flying at his head, "Oh, hell no!"

The curved end of walking stick flew off; he pressed the buttons to extend the staff slightly, and turned in a 360-degree motion over his head to hit the oncoming bucket. The bucket shattered on impact, and the shards hit the opposing wall.

Rion turned around and walked away before anymore buckets could be thrown. He said to them without turning around, "You shouldn't still be here."

"We'll have to punish them later!" Chie affirmed to the others after all the offenders had left.

"Wow, you got 'em good!" Nanako exclaimed happily.

"My aim's pretty deadly, huh?" Rise nodded.

"Too deadly," Yukiko said, "Rion knocked that one into the sky."

Naoto was blushing, "I wonder if they caught a glimpse."

"I hope not," Rise said.

Yukiko just realized something, "Oh… It's actually the guys' turn to use the hot springs now."

The group looked nervous, "So that's why he said…," Chie said.

"I got the times mixed up… Ahahaha…!" Yukiko chuckled nervously.

"Are you serious?" Chie asked, "Crap, I think we went too far with them."

"Er… What should we do?" Naoto asked.

"Oh, it'll be fine as long as we keep quiet about it! It'll be just between us girls!" Rise kept cheerful.

"Umm… Rion knows," Naoto said.

"Oh, he won't say anything," Rise told her, "He doesn't say anything."

The group shied away from that conversation.

"Do you want to race again, Nanako-chan?" Yukiko asked.

---

Back at the guys' room.

All the guys except Rion were in obvious pain. Rion was sitting in a lotus position, trying to concentrate. Teddie was lying out on the floor while Souji, Kanji, and Yosuke were all curled up with their knees up to their heads. "Dammit!" Yosuke yelled, "I checked again, and sure enough, the hot springs are supposed to be for men at that hour."

"They were," Rion said, "They obviously got the times confused and in the confusion attacked you."

"I'll have to get my revenge then," Souji replied.

"They're so evil! Evil, I tell you!" Yosuke started to cry.

"I dunno why, but my head's all bumpy." Teddie said.

"You were hit in the head with a bunch of water pail buckets. What did you expect?" Souji held his head in pain.

"You got lumps, man," Kanji laughed. He sighed in resignation. "I didn't even get a look," he thought.

Yosuke noticed something, "Hey… guys? Did you, uh… see anything?"

"No…," Kanji answered, "I wanted to though," he thought.

"None whatsoever," Teddie looked down.

"I was too busy getting hit over the head," Souji said, "What about you?" looking at Rion, "You weren't hit over the head."

"Meh… I'm not telling," Rion shrugged, "However, I was more focused on making sure a bucket didn't plant itself in my face."

"Are you sure he isn't interested in guys?" Souji thought, "'Cause two girls are interested in him."

"Dammit! I lead a cursed life!" Yosuke shook his head, "Let's just go to bed."

"Hold it, Senpai!" Kanji interrupted, "Do you… hear something?"

A small wailing noise was heard around the walls and in the room.

"Wh… What was that!?" Yosuke wondered.

"I heard it too!" Teddie said, obviously shaken.

"Don't tell me… Is there one here?" Kanji asked.

"What are you talking about? What do you mean?" Souji asked worriedly.

Kanji realized, "This room… It's the one that announcer was staying in before she died! I heard my mom talking about it!"

"Oh god, you said it!" Yosuke exclaimed, "I was trying to block it out, and you had to go and say it!" Souji knew there was something wrong with this place.

The group looked up and saw sutras all above them on the ceiling.

"Well, that explains the talismans on the ceiling," Souji said.

"Yukiko… That witch tempted us here knowing full well!" Yosuke yelled, "Dammit! First the hot springs, now this! We've been completely suckered!"

The wailing continued, even louder this time as Kanji said, "Oh crap! There is no way I am sleeping through this!"

Teddie shot up into the air, and Souji looked up at him. "I've made up my mind!" Rion cracked open his eye, "I'm going to Yuki-chan's room! I can't sleep soundly unless I'm watching everyone's sleeping faces as I drift off."

Yosuke looked shocked. He had bad ideas about this, "Wha… sleeping faces? Are you going to sneak into their room? You can't be…"

The wailing noise continued, frightening everyone but Rion.

"Hey, what should we do?" Yosuke asked Souji.

"Let's go, then. I don't really want to, but I can't sleep here," Souji said, "At least I can sneak up to Yukiko," he thought.

"Damn, that was a fast response!" Kanji replied, "I want to see Naoto," he thought.

"Dude, seriously, I can't stay here," Yosuke told them.

Teddie exclaimed to the group in an excited voice, "Alrighty! It'll be a surprise awakening for them!"

"Are you coming?" Souji asked Rion, who was still meditating, "You can sneak up on Rise."

"I'll be fine here," Rion responded, "Nothing will interfere with my meditation at this time." Rion was busy watching the blossoms sway in the wind.

Souji shook his head as they left, "What's with him?"

The boys snuck into the girls' room and were ready to pounce on the girls in the futons.

"Good morning, everyone…," Teddie whispered, in his bear costume, "It's a surprise awakening, no, a surprise break-in… This is Teddie, reporting in!"

Teddie was at the forefront, with Kanji, Souji, and Yosuke standing behind him.

"When did you put that on?" Yosuke asked incredulously. He was wondering why Teddie had his bear suit on.

"I feel awkward without it… so I always bring it," Teddie told him.

"Is that really necessary?" Souji asked about his tone of voice.

"Stop talking like that!" Yosuke warned Teddie.

Kanji pointed out to the group, "Oh, check it out, a hairbrush. And it's got long strands of hair on it."

"You're really into this, aren't you?" Yosuke asked quietly.

"Damn straight! It's time I get revenge for the campout!" Kanji responded in hushed tones. He was thinking, "No one is kicking me in the balls this time!"

Yosuke smiled, "Hey, good point! Alright, I'll get my revenge too!"

Teddie saw something, "A… A toothbrush!"

"Holy crap, my heart's pounding!" Yosuke exclaimed as soft as he could.

"Calm down people," Souji said.

"But what about Nanako-chan?" Yosuke pointed out.

Teddie looked at his superior, "Don't worry! Nanako-chan is a magnanimous girl!"

"You have a point there," Souji said, "But leave her out of this."

"Don't wake her up," Yosuke said, "She's not part of our revenge scheme here."

Teddie walked over to the futons. He seemed excited, "Ooh, I've finally reached the futons! They're fast asleep! 'Scuse me!" Teddie yelled suddenly, "Yuki-chan, I'm scared of the ghosts!"

"What are you doing to Yukiko!?" Souji asked softly, "But the shadows of the futon don't like Yukiko."

Kanji looked at the others, "Alright… I can do this too. T… Time to prove that I'm a man! Ch… Chie-senpai, be gentle!"

"I wanted Chie…, but that doesn't look like Chie's body shape" Yosuke thought, before he realized something, "Huh? One, two… Wh… Where are the rest of the futons?"

The lights suddenly came on, and surprise was hitting the group. There were only two futons. One of the futons opened up, and out came a terrifying sight, Ms. Kashiwagi! Kashiwagi was in the futon, and they were next to her.

"Hm…? What's going on here?" she asked in confusion.

The other futon opened and out came an even more terrifying sight, Hanako!

"Sheesh…" she said, as she was awoken at night.

The pair both suddenly looked to their left and saw Teddie and Kanji at their side. Kanji and Teddie were terrified, while Hanako and Kashiwagi seemed incredibly happy.

"Oh my! So that's how you guys are?" Hanako exclaimed, "Aww! You should've said so!"

"Mmmm… Such naughty boys!" Kashiwagi said seductively.

Teddie was much more terrified by this than by any ghost, "Aaaaagh! Begone!"

"Holy crap! D… Don't touch me!" Kanji yelled.

Both Teddie and Kanji ran away from the terrifying girls to the other guys.

Kashiwagi told the boys, "We were crying our poor eyes out until now, you know? We thought that there were no men who appreciated our beauty," Kashiwagi cried out, "Alright, boys. I'm all yours. And not a word about this to anyone!"

Hanako gestured to the guys, "C'mere, tiger!"

All the boys ran out of the room as fast as they could run and back to the wailing ghost room where Rion was waiting for them.

"So, how was the ride?" Rion smiled.

---

Back at the hot springs, the girls were still relaxing in the radium-rich waters.

"Ahh… This feels great!" Chie tipped her head back in the waters, "I love love Love being able to take a bath whenever I want!"

"How's Nanako-chan?" Yukiko asked.

"Fast asleep," Rise replied.

Chie pointed out, "Hey, did you know that Ms. Kashiwagi and Hanako were staying in the room right next to ours? Those two seem to get along really well. I'm surprised."

"They come and stay here now and again," Yukiko said, "Usually they come to cry when something breaks their hearts."

The girls collectively looked at Naoto. Chie said, "Huh. I guess they really were devastated by losing to Naoto-kun."

"Please don't bring that up again," Naoto said shyly, "I don't want to hear about it."

"Well, they do make a good team," Rise said cheerfully.

The conversation continued onto various topics from boys, to fashion, to the murder case. Naoto did not like it when the topic turned to boys. Rise started talking about Rion, and then she moved onto Kanji to talk about Naoto. It was making Naoto blush, and sad at the same time.

---

The day after the night at the Amagi Inn, was a day off from school. Yukiko said she'd come over to Souji's house. He had a few questions for her.

Yukiko walked up to Souji's room and sat down on his couch. Souji joined her.

"Did you have fun yesterday?" Yukiko asked.

"Not as much fun as you did, apparently," Souji answered, "I'm bruised head-to-toe."

"Well, you did show up while we were in the springs…," Yukiko shot back.

"It was our turn to use them and you apparently "forgot" to leave," Souji returned.

"Well…," she looked nervous, "So… he told you."

"We all knew anyways," Souji shook his head, "He just confirmed it."

"But… I just got it mixed up," Yukiko muttered, "I'll make it up to you."

He smiled, "I'm sure you will. I'm not like Yosuke or Kanji. I don't hold grudges as long as him."

She snuggled up to Souji, who placed his arm around Yukiko's shoulders. It would be a good day until he had to take her back to the inn.

Nanako and Souji were having dinner and watching TV while waiting for Dojima to come home when Nanako shuddered from across the table.

"It's cold today," she sounded chilled.

The announcer said, "Now for our next story." The news anchor was going on about an important story, "Mr. Kozai of the Environmental Concern Society visited a local elementary school to investigate the effects of the fog. Thick fog has appeared recently in Inaba in the past few years, and the cause of it has yet to be determined," the anchor reported. He continued, "There's been much conjecture on the origin of this fog, and some are concerned about its effects on the human body. Town officials believe it's highly unlikely that the fog is harmful. One official suggested that the concern is largely related to the public anxiety in response to the recent murders." The reporter got to the main portion of the story, "On hearing about the phenomenon, Mr. Kozai visited the local elementary school to investigate its effects. He interviewed the children playing happily in the fog about their health and any anxieties they were facing."

Nanako interjected and told Souji, "Oh that man came to my school."

"Really?" Souji asked her.

"Yeah, he did."

The announcer continued talking about Mr. Kozai, "Upon completing the investigation, Mr. Kozai issued a statement. "In this day and age, one must stay aware of even slight changes in the environment and react politically. Today, I talked with a young student who spoke her own mind, free from the influence of those around her. It's an attitude and an example that we as adults we can all learn from. Our primary concern should always be to protect these children's futures." On that note, Mr. Kozai ended his statement. The assembled parents applauded, but some raised concerns that it was a show to attract voters for the next election." The story ended, and the news continued onto more boring crap.

Nanako stopped looking at the TV and turned to Souji. She covered her mouth and sneezed loudly, "Achoo!"

She looked at Souji. Souji thought she didn't look too good. She told him, "My head hurts."

"You don't look so good," Souji said as he stood up. He put his hand on his little sis's forehead. Sure enough, she had a fever. Souji told Nanako, "You need to get some rest, Nanako."

"O… Okay…," Nanako said, "Achoo!"

Souji had Nanako lie down on the couch after giving her some medicine.

"Hey, big bro…" Nanako said from the couch, propped up by two pillows, "Are you going back in the spring?"

Souji didn't know what to say. He had grown attached to Nanako over time. "Well…"

"It's going to be winter soon," Nanako said, "If it snows, can we make a snowman?"

"Of course we can," Souji answered.

"We can play a lot," Nanako said.

"Yeah," Souji said.

"Let's play all the time until spring," Nanako said softly. She had fallen asleep after saying that. After an hour, Souji took her to bed. Souji finished his homework after taking her to bed. He would meet with Yukiko after school again tomorrow, so he at least had something to look forward to.

The Culture Festival was over, so back to boring ass school. Kondo was teaching P.E. today. And he was as boring as hell. It wasn't really as much P.E. as it was "let's try and kill all of you by running you into the ground." He was spouting crap about the fact that winter was coming. He was quizzing people about muscle use. He asked Souji which muscles are weakened when you rest your chin in your hands. Souji answered, "Shoulder to the back?"

"That's right," Kondo answered, "Your back is the muscles weakened by resting your chin on your hands."

Kondo gave special exercises out of the class to do after their questioning.

"Son of a bitch!" he muttered after being forced to do hard labor.

---

What would happen after school would start a chain reaction that would change the group forever.

Souji was home, and Yukiko had come home with him. They were relaxing on the couch, just watching the small TV together.

Yukiko asked, "So… is this where you fell in the TV? Chie said you told them you fell into a TV when you first watched the Midnight Channel."

"Yeah, I touched the screen, my hand went in, and my whole head went with it," Souji replied.

Yukiko chuckled, "That's hilarious. Your head got stuck in the screen."

"I don't think it's that funny," Souji pouted.

"Aww…," Yukiko responded, "I'll make you feel better."

She pulled Souji closer from their snuggling position and pulled him close. Souji was dreaming happy thoughts as he took hold of her shoulders. At the last second, before their lips could touch, Yukiko pulled away.

"What!?" Souji asked.

"I just had this weird feeling that two people we know just got really close," Yukiko said, "I don't know why, but I just have this feeling."

"You think so?" Souji wondered, "Why don't we find out, then?"

"Let's wait a minute to find out," Yukiko said, moving back to Souji with a smile on her face. Souji was smiling too.

---

At Junes,

Chie and Yosuke were at Junes, at the "secret headquarters". They were, of course, fighting over something.

"It was the guys' turn!" Yosuke yelled.

"It wasn't our fault!" Chie yelled back.

"Of course it was!" Yosuke responded, "And you threw buckets at us!"

"That's because you wouldn't look away!" Chie explained.

"Rion didn't have bruises all over his face!" Yosuke retorted.

"Only because he knocked the bucket all the way to Mt. Fuji!" Chie answered.

Yosuke took her steak away from across the table and put it on another table, "Favorite food pudding, my ass!"

"How dare you steal my steak!" Chie was steaming. She replied by grabbed his steak and threw it to the side.

"What!" Yosuke yelled, "I paid for yours! Unlike you! I actually pay for the things I buy!"

"What about my Trial of the Dragon!? I still haven't got my money for that yet!" Chie sneered, "You signed us up for the beauty pageant, you sneak up on us at the hot springs, you force us to wear bathing suits at camp, should I go on?"

"You think that's bad?" Yosuke asked, "How about signing us up for a cross-dressing pageant? Inedible omelets, Mystery Food X, Throwing us into the river, the hot springs, making us stay at a haunted inn room, and making me pay for everything!"

"Well, it's all your fault!" Chie yelled. She calmed down slightly, "I don't believe that you are the reason there is no business in the shopping district, but you do a lot of stupid stuff Yosuke." She sighed, "Why can't you think before you do stuff?" If there wasn't anybody in Junes who wasn't staring at the pair of them, they were now.

"Well…," he looked around, "I'm too busy thinking about other things…"

"What could be so more important that you end up doing stuff that bites you in the ass?" Chie asked. She looked like she almost cared now.

"Well… actually, I've… I… I mean… I've been thinking about you," Yosuke said sheepishly.

"Wha… What!?" Chie was completely taken by surprise, "How could… Why would you be thinking about me?"

"I know I've been saying anything and everything about Saki-senpai when it comes to the murders, and it still does hurt that she was killed," Yosuke lamented, "I did like her, but I had to move on. I didn't want a girlfriend when I was trying to find this murderer, but I couldn't stop thinking about someone. The person I was thinking about… was you, Chie." Yosuke was looking at his feet now, and shuffling them nervously.

"Oh Yosuke…," Chie sighed, "You're such an idiot."

"I know I'm clumsy, and I do a lot of stupid stuff, but I just couldn't stop thinking about you," Yosuke confessed.

"You're clumsy?" Chie asked, "What about me?" She looked at herself, "Why would anyone like me? I'm plain old Chie. There's nothing special about me. I'm not pretty or popular like Yukiko. I'm not shy and cute like Naoto. Don't even try to compare myself to Rise. You said it yourself; you wouldn't want me in the pageant. No one would want me up there. I'm about as popular as Hanako. She said I wasn't smart, and she was probably right. I just say whatever comes to mind."

"Don't say stupid stuff like that. You're right a lot of the time, ya know? You have a lot of admirers you don't know about, Chie. Kou, for one," Yosuke said, "I didn't know what I was thinking, but I wanted to see you in there… I didn't want others to see you up onstage."

Chie was blushing bright red, "You mean… you wanted to see me up there?" She looked at him, "Then why didn't you just ask directly?"

Yosuke shook his head, "I'm supposed to think things through now?"

She chuckled, "That's true. But, I have to admit, it was hilarious seeing you up there at the cross-dressing pageant."

"Don't bring that up again… By the way, you suck at dressing me up as a girl." Yosuke tried to retort as he shook his head in dismay, but it wasn't an angry comment. He lightened his voice when he spoke to her, "I know we always fight, but I don't really mean it. I know I don't really like you siphoning my funds to buy Teddie's clothes, but you meant well."

Chie smiled, "I knew you'd come around eventually."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yosuke asked with a smirk.

"Anyways… if you really do like me, the real me… umm, uh," Chie was struggling to find what she wanted to say. She was blushing quite profusely, "Um… do you remember when Kanji asked if there were boys that we liked at the group date cafe?"

"Yeah, I remember that. You didn't want to say anything. I didn't say anything, obviously," Yosuke answered.

"I didn't want to say anything, because… I… I… I liked you," Chie finally answered through her red face, "Then again; you were a girl that day."

"Wow, Chie," Yosuke seemed astonished himself, "I didn't know. I guess Rise was right."

Yosuke went over to the other side of the table where Chie was standing. The thrown steak platters were long since forgotten. Yosuke placed his hand and interlocked his fingers within Chie's own fingers.

"I'm not very good at this," Yosuke muttered, "I can't really say anything."

"Oh, so I'm supposed to know what to do?" Chie looked up at him, obviously nervous as well, "I… I love you."

Chie goes up on her tiptoes and pecks Yosuke on the cheek. All the while, she's blushing madly, and this action makes her blush even worse while Yosuke goes red as well. It doesn't help that a collective "Aww…" comes out throughout the crowd that was watching the fight and the ensuing confessions.

A single voice was heard in the crowd, "That was so bear-y romantic!"

Chie and Yosuke's hands released and they picked out the costumed bear immediately.

"Teddie!" Yosuke exclaimed, "Tell me you didn't see that?"

"I saw the whole thing. It was so romantic!" Teddie cheered, "Two hearts joined as one in the fall air…"

"Shut up with that cheesy crap!" Yosuke yelled.

"You won't say a word!" Chie commanded.

"Too late," Teddie told them, "I already called Kanji, Souji, and Rion. They'll be telling everyone else to show up to talk about what happened."

"We're doomed," Yosuke put his hand on his forehead.

"I don't want to talk about this all over again," Chie shook her head.

---

Souji had gotten a call from Teddie about Chie and Yosuke getting together. Yukiko got all excited and started laughing her head off. She said something like, "About time!" and started "srnking" endlessly. Souji had to wait what seemed like forever to stop laughing.

The pair headed towards Junes through the floodplains to talk to Chie and Yosuke. As Souji was halfway through, he spotted a camera crew and a bunch of people crowded around a few people.

"Who's that?" Souji asked.

"Oh, that's a movie they are filming in town," Yukiko answered, "They're only going to be here for about two to three days. I don't think we have to worry about the Midnight Channel for them."

"There are a lot of them… Are they important?" Souji inquired.

"It's another idol," Yukiko responded, "And the whole group is staying at our Inn."

"Your Inn? Were they there while we were staying there? If they are all staying there, why aren't you there?" Souji asked.

Yukiko smiled, "I probably should, but my mom told me that I'm only in high school once." She blushed, "I'm going to take full advantage of it."

Souji smiled back as they head past the floodplains towards Junes.

---

Rion was waiting for Rise by the riverbank. He was going to meet up with both her and Naoto and go to Junes to talk about Chie and Yosuke. Apparently, the two of them hooked up.

"That seems beneficial. Maybe they will seem more lively," Rion said to himself, "But they will still fight. They act like they were already married to begin with."

As Rion started to tap his foot impatiently, he extended his staff long enough to be a walking stick, and attached the head to it. Rion was about to head off towards Rise's house to see why she was taking so long, but he noticed Rise talking to some other girl. The girl was wearing heavy make-up, and dressed in lavish clothes. She looked young, but it seemed someone was trying to make her look older. Rise and this girl seemed to be in a heated conversation. Rion heard without even trying to listen.

The two were standing just in front of the riverbank, face to face, in a heated argument. Rise was wearing her school uniform, while the other girl was in a flashy white dress with heavy make-up.

"Ah, it's the washed-up idol, Risette. How much attention did you get when you came here? Did they crawl on their knees when you came, or did they spit on the ground at the sight of your ugly face?" the other sneered.

"What do you want, Kanami? I have to be somewhere," Rise sounded worn out, just like she did when she first came to Inaba.

"I'm sure you don't have anywhere important to go. You came here because you supposedly lost your fire for being popular," This other idol said.

Rion had heard the name Kanami before. She was the popular new idol, her stage name, Kanamin.

"I needed a break, but I've found something important to do," Rise told the girl.

"You mean something like school? Face it, you have nothing worth doing," Kanami taunted.

"That's not true!" Rise started losing her cool as she yelled at Kanami.

Kanami smirked, "I know about you. Inoue told me. He told me all about this guy you said you liked. The guy with the silver hair you said you would marry once you got out of high school. He said you told him that to get him out of your hair."

Rise looked shocked, "Souji-senpai?"

"Oh, did I hit a nerve?" Kanami chuckled at Rise's confusion, "I saw him walking with that pretty innkeeper, Yukiko, was it? You know, that long-haired girl. She works at the inn. You can't hold a candle to someone who's got a future like that. You know at least those kids will be pretty."

"A future!? What the hell do you mean!?" Rise yelled. The tears were starting to form in her eyes.

"Listen…," Kanami scolded her, "You were washed up, and so you came here. You don't have a chance of doing anything in this dingy old place except inheriting a crappy old tofu shop that you'll run once your granny kicks the bucket."

A tear from Rise's cheek hit the ground, "Leave me alone and don't talk about my Grandmother's shop, you little bitch!" She was ready to beat up the younger girl.

Kanami laughed, "I even heard someone say you were on a striptease. Don't tell me you were that desperate for attention that you had to go and strip for everyone?" Kanami asked the frazzled ex-idol.

"Shut up!" Rise looked like she was going to hit the girl, and she advanced and cocked her fist. But before she could hit her, another hand enveloped her wrist, "Wha…!?"

"That's enough…," a calm voice said. It was Rion who had stopped her from knocking Kanami senseless.

"But…," Rise said.

"Let's go… Now!" Rion commanded.

"Kanami, we need you for the next scene!" Inoue had called Kanami over.

"Coming!" Kanami turned away and left. Before she had run out of sight she said, "I'm twice as good as you'll ever be, Risette."

After the girl left, Risette practically broke down where she stood. She nearly collapsed into Rion's arms.

"I… I… c… couldn't do anything," Rise cried, "She just… Senpai!"

"I told you this would might happen, Rise-chan…," Rion said slowly, "I told you that you weren't ready."

"But… how can I deal with what she said?" Rise stuttered, "I… I thought I got over that."

"Maybe you weren't ready for that just yet," Rion said, "You lost your cool."

"But how… how can I be ready for it next time?" Rise asked.

"I can't tell you what to do," Rion told her.

Rise looked at him expectantly through her tears, "You must know something. You have to have some idea on how I can become better at this."

Rion sighed, "I can't teach you. You think I know anything more than you do?" Rion looked straight into her teary eyes and said, "Sure, I dealt with a little of that when I was younger, but not like what you're going through. I didn't have competition like that, I didn't have agents, and I sure as hell didn't have such media attention."

"But… you know how to…," Rise was nearly begging.

"I don't!" Rion was getting annoyed, "I don't know shit about how to deal with idols, or media agents."

"Rion…," Rise was in tears again that he would actually raise his voice at her.

"There is no magic potion I can give you that can solve your problems," Rion explained as he calmed down, "Listen I'm sorry… but, I can't wave a magic wand and expect you to magically be able to deal with Kanami, or the paparazzi."

"But… I need you, Rion," Rise looked at him with those expectant eyes.

"I can't fight your battles for you, Rise-chan. You need to learn to do things on your own," Rion told her, "I can't always be there to hold you, or stop you from losing your cool."

"But…," Rise tried to explain, "I need you here… with me"

"I know how you feel… about me, and that isn't what I'm thinking," Rion told her, "You are just going to have to learn the hard way because I taught you everything I know."

"Senpai…," Rise muttered as Rion started to turn around.

"This is not the only place I am needed today. When you feel like you can come, Chie and Yosuke are waiting. Otherwise, I'll tell everyone that you are not feeling well," Rion explained.

Rion made his exit away from the shrine towards another venue. As he left, Rise dropped to her knees. She emitted a few words through her tears, "I don't want you fighting for me or telling girls off. I just want you to see him once so I have the confidence to fight. If you're there for me, just listening, I feel like I can win anytime."

She didn't notice that someone was listening to her words. The person who was listening to the conversation sighed at hearing this, "I already heard you, and I believe in you."

Rion's cell went off only about two minutes after he left Rise. It was the pint-sized detective. Naoto wanted him to meet her near Daidara's. It seemed that she had something else to do before meeting up with Chie and Yosuke.

"Great… now we're playing the game without me setting the time and date; Yakushiji-san didn't tell me he was playing today," Rion shook his head. The game was getting out of hand. Rion sighed as he said, "At least I know what the hell he's going to try and pull on her. I don't think it's going to work."

He met Naoto at the shopping district like she asked him to.

"Good afternoon, Naoto," Rion sounded strained.

"You sound on edge, Senpai," Naoto said, looking concerned at his tone of voice.

"Don't ask," he responded with a little flair in his eyes. She edged away at this.

Naoto didn't, "Anyways… I have learned that in recent days, a suspicious man has been spotted around the shopping district."

"Suspicious, my ass," Rion thought, "He's your secretary."

"He isn't a local, and his appearance doesn't mark him as a tourist or a shopper. I talked to the owner of the Shiroku Store and she said she saw the man only a few hours ago. She confirmed it was the same man who bought the cards."

"Then we have our suspect in reach," Rion said, trying to act like he didn't know who it was.

"It that's true, then he's likely looking for his next hiding place for one of his stolen items," Naoto said, "We may be able to catch him in the act."

"A good plan," Rion admitted, "But, don't you seem sad that it's over? It was amusing." He did think it was amusing, amusing to watch her squirm. Though Rion didn't really enjoy being dragged around that much.

"You… too?" Naoto wondered, "The detective I dreamed of becoming as a child. I feel like that's what I am now."

"That's a good thing," Rion responded. He was thinking, "Now, you just need to admit you're a girl and a detective, and being okay with it."

"If my deductions are correct, there are two things remaining that the Phantom Thief has stolen. And if so, I'm quite certain he's going to hide that one. Perhaps he is…" Naoto was thinking, "Anyway, where in this area could he hide something unnoticed?"

"This should be obvious…," Rion thought as he rolled his eyes.

"I have an idea. Let's go, Rion-senpai!" Naoto exclaimed, almost pulling him away as she went running from the weapons store.

"Here we go, I'm being dragged again," Rion was thinking to himself.

The two of them headed towards Tatsuhime Shrine. Thankfully, Rion knew where the next item would be placed, and what crazy stunt would be pulled when they got there.

Naoto rushed ahead when they reached the Tatsuhime Shrine. A silver-haired man in black was placing an object near the shrine.

"Oh crap, don't do that," Rion shook his head in thought.

"You're…," Naoto started to accuse the man.

He was wearing sunglasses as he turned around, and when he did, the man brandished a knife. At least, it looked like a knife.

Rion rolled his eyes and moved in front of Naoto. That would be the best course of action for playing this game.

"Let it go, Yakushiji-san. She's not going to be scared off by plastic," Rion muttered.

"Rion-senpai?" Naoto looked at him, "What are you doing? It's a toy! There's no need for alarm!" She watched Yakushiji-san run off, "And how did you… know?"

After Yakushiji dropped the "knife" and ran away, Naoto explained all of its purposes, "This knife… I knew it. It's another of the seven tools I made. This is a knife-shaped radio. As I said, it's just a toy."

"I know it was," Rion said, "I'm not stupid, Naoto."

Naoto didn't seem too happy with that as she nearly threw her hat on the ground and yelled, "But… Even so, what you did… What if the knife had been real!? You would have been in grave danger!"

"Your point being what?" Rion shrugged, "Why does that make a difference?"

"Rrrgh… You're always like that, Rion!" Naoto was frustrated, "I can't imagine becoming a woman only to have a man to protect me!"

"Oh grow up will you!" Rion yelled back.

"Wha…!?" Naoto was confused at his rage, "Why are you saying that?"

"You know what kind of danger we face everyday while we're in the TV, don't you? Do you know what we went through to save you? We can just as easily die in the TV world." Rion told her, "Every one of us would fight for every other person to their last breath. It doesn't matter, boy or girl. We protect each other."

"What purpose does this serve?" Naoto asked.

Rion lengthened his staff, "If you're so worried about becoming a woman, deal with the fact that you have to be protected sometimes!"

"What!?" Naoto was in shock, "But… I can't…"

"What's the matter?" Rion taunted her, "What if I was the criminal?"

"Why… do you torment me every time you see me?" Naoto trembled, "You always act like this… Push me in directions I don't want to go."

Rion harrumphed and rolled my eyes, "I give up on whatever this game was supposed to implant in your head. I'm calling Yakushiji-san. I'm going to get the last clue for you to solve."

"He's giving up," Naoto looked at her feet in shame as she muttered, "The final clue?"

"Yes," Rion said, pulling out his cell phone, "The game will be finished in no time at all."

Yakushiji came and apologized for putting both of them through this charade, "It's because of Naoto-sama's grampa that I had to do this. He was saddened by Naoto-sama's state of affairs lately. That's why we asked, you," pointing at Rion, "to do this." He looked at Naoto, "She doesn't have any acquaintances to work with, so she spends all of her time devoted to her work. So we asked Rion to work and help you regain the joy you felt in your earlier days. He wanted you to feel the way you did when you wanted to be a detective, no matter of her heritage, or gender."

Naoto had no response to that, though Rion's staring straight into her eyes may have had something to do with that. Yakushiji continued, "I thought Rion was trustworthy, and I asked him to do this because he knew you well, enough to change and improvise plans at my discretion." Yakushiji bowed in apology.

"I'm sorry to say, but I failed miserably…," Rion muttered, "So don't thank me." Naoto saw that he was actually looking depressed. It did not help her self-esteem at all.

After receiving the last clue from Yakushij and watching him leave, Naoto and Rion went to their usual meeting space, above the floodplains. Thankfully, the film crew had left by then. Rion had a feeling that he'd have to deal with Kanami again, anyways.

Rion placed the final card on the table. He wasn't amused as he spoke, "This is our final challenge."

Naoto looked ashamed. She knew even by the undertone of his voice that he was disappointed.

The card read,

"**I did what you can't stand to at a place you'd be fond of.**

**But underneath, rather than the inside."**

Rion thought for only a second like he was remembering something. He put his hand on the side of his head and sighed.

Rion muttered, "This is simple."

"You already know where it is?" Naoto asked incredulously. She figured that he would figure it out quickly.

"Of course… He's just using clues you've given to me already," Rion shook his head, "Why don't you just remember what you've told me? I'll head there and wait for you to come meet me, okay?"

"But…!?" Naoto exclaimed, trying to ask for his help, "A place I'd be fond of?" Naoto really needed his help.

Rion was already up and was starting to walk away when he turned, "You like high places, don't you?" he had shrugged and given her the answer without a second thought.

"You remembered?" Naoto said thoughtfully. She had told him that when they were talking about their pasts. She thought to herself, "I can't believe he knew… that he remembered that." She looked, "The highest place around here is… The hill."

Rion nodded, "That's where I'm headed."

Naoto looked at him pleadingly, wanting him to stay for help on the next part, so Rion sat back down. She looked thankful and said, "Next, what I "can't stand" to do. There are several possibilities, but…"

"At first, I'd say be around me," Rion said, and Naoto chuckled at his bluntness, "But… If you are actually able to throw something away, I'll eat your hat," Rion looked at her and chuckled.

Naoto blushed at his continued frankness, "That's right! Did I mention that before?"

"I'm pretty sure you did… About six times," Rion said.

"Considering what's at the hill, the most likely answer is the trash can," Naoto assumed.

"I was already headed there before you asked me for help," Rion told her.

"I have an idea of what's going to be there," Naoto responded.

Rion told her plainly, "I already know what's there. I did help set this up, remember?"

Naoto shook her head, "Let's go, Senpai."

The pair headed to the hill above town. Naoto wondered how she could cheer up Rion.

"Was a camera crew here?" Naoto asked as she reached underneath the trash can.

"They were filming a movie. Another idol was in it, and all hell broke loose when she met Rise," Rion answered.

"I see…," Naoto answered when she picked up the item, "I knew this was here. I forgot I even had this." She pulled out an old pocketbook, "It's the last of the seven tools. "The Detective's Pocketbook." All things I had forgotten about are packed in here."

"Well, that was the whole idea when we planned this," Rion told her.

"Grampa wanted to remind me of them. This childish game you three played on me… It's selfish. Forcing me to recall all of this now. I was trying so hard. Not to be underestimated, not to be condescended to…"

"You were trying too hard, Naoto," Rion said sadly, "This game needed to be played. I thought your Shadow told you that." He thought to himself, "Maybe I can at least salvage the first part."

Naoto sat on the bench, "I just thought if I solved this town's murder case that everyone would accept me; that they would acknowledge me as the 5th in the Shirogane lineage of detectives. That's what I told myself. I just wanted to be accepted. I just wanted to be needed. That's why I fretted and stood on my tiptoes and focused only on solving this case."

"You are needed, Naoto," Rion shook his head, "But not by the police. The town needs you for a different reason now.

She sighed, "I guess the original reason I wanted to become a detective was because mysteries intrigued me and I could help people by solving them."

Rion looked into her eyes, "That's a perfectly good reason to become a detective."

"I remember that now," Naoto told him.

"Rion-san? Do you remember when I faced myself in the TV world?" Naoto asked while looking at him.

"Pretty well," Rion answered, "I had a front-row seat if you remember correctly."

"I had to accept the fact that I needed a reason for myself to stay," Naoto told him,

"Everyone gave me a reason to stay. I'm still seeking the truth with you and the others, and I know I'm not the detective I want to be yet. I'm willing to admit I'm not yet an adult."

Before she could answer anymore, Rion came to her conclusion, "It's not just solving the crimes anymore and Personas, is it?"

She blushed and looked at him, "How… Wha…!?"

"Do I have to spell it out?" Rion rolled his eyes.

"Umm… Rion…?" Naoto was blushing scarlet red, but was rather confused.

"I need to let this out, or it will spill out and cause more trouble. I… I need to say this," Naoto had stood up and moved in front of Rion, all the while blushing madly. She started well…, "You see… You always tease me, but you mean well. To tell the truth, your life goal is to probably make my life hell, but I just can't think straight around you. I reveal more around you than I would around anyone else. You make me more uncomfortable than anyone else ever could. Ever since I met you, no matter how prying you were, how annoying you got, I couldn't stop… couldn't stop thinking about you. I… I… just… I… just have to say it. I… I…" She couldn't finish her sentence.

"You mean to tell me that you love me?" Rion asked.

Naoto could only nod.

"I can't say yes to someone who can barely admit to being a girl," Rion answered, "There's a reason why Teddie won the cross-dressing pageant so easily."

"Not admitting to being a girl…," Naoto could only at her feet.

"Your Shadow did a rather poor job of convincing you sometimes," Rion sighed, "You barely changed your voice and we're supposed to believe you're a girl? You don't talk like a girl at all." He stared straight into her eyes and said, "You don't act the least bit like a girl… When's the last time you had a normal girl-like conversation with someone? You sure as hell don't dress like a girl. I help you because I felt like it, because I'm your friend, just like I helped Rise to the best of my ability. I see that my second goal was a failure."

Naoto was in tears now. She knew Rion didn't like him, "The… second goal…?"

"I just wanted you to realize its okay to be a girl," Rion shook his head. He didn't want to lose his temper again, "I just wanted you to at least once in your life to talk like a girl. Talk to a guy and make his day, you have enough admirers. Make Kanji's day or something by just talking to him, but not for the case. I'm sure he'd die of happiness or something. I know it'd make you uncomfortable beyond belief, but try dressing like a girl. There's nothing wrong with it."

"I just can't… I understand that I'm not an adult, but I can't see myself as a girl detective," Naoto cried.

Rion put his head down, "Then I can't help you. Either you learn now, or you'll be alone later in life. Not everyone is so accepting like Kanji. I wouldn't be."

"Senpai…," she wiped her eyes.

"I need to talk to Chie and Yosuke," Rion told her as left her behind, "We are all meeting at Junes. They're together now, you know." She turned around as he walked away, "Life isn't always about solving problems by making deductions. Sometimes you just have to act."

Rion was sick of making people cry as he headed towards the meglo-mart.

When the group, sans Rise and Naoto, met at Junes there was lots of lively talk about Chie and Yosuke getting together. Needless to say, the new couple were sick of talking about it.

"A… Anyways…," Chie said, "Where is Rise and Naoto?"

"Yeah, why isn't Naoto here?" Kanji looked at Rion, "Weren't you going to bring her here?"

Rion shrugged, "Well… Rise was verbally abused by that other idol that's staying at the Amagi Inn. That's why she isn't here, most likely. And Naoto… well, she had a case to solve, and not everything is quite finished."

"Oh…," Souji said, "Well, that sucks." He thought, "What the hell happened? Rion was dealing with both of them, and now something happened."

"That idol abused Rise?" Yukiko asked, "What happened?"

"I didn't hear everything, but she's the one who replaced Rise. So, she was badmouthing her," Rion explained.

"Well… I wish I could complain to her about it," Yukiko said, "But she is staying at our Inn."

"I can always do something about it!" Chie had a gleam in her eyes.

"Violence is not the answer Chie…," Souji muttered.

Yosuke smiled, "It usually was in my case…" Chie looked at him and rolled her eyes. It was better than hitting him in Souji's eyes.

Teddie looked at Rion, "So… you said you had something important to tell us?"

Rion nodded, "Right… well I had nothing to do when I wasn't working, or after we saved Mitsuo… so I qualified for the Olympics in London for fencing."

"Wow… Congrats!" Yosuke said.

"Therefore, to deter any broadcasts that may have occurred recently, tomorrow night, it's supposed to rain. I am going to be on TV tomorrow night."

"You're going to do what!?" Kanji exclaimed.

"I think he's putting himself at risk… But he's probably the best prepared to fight the kidnapper," Souji replied.

"I don't want him to get captured though," Teddie said.

"It'd be like Naoto all over again," Kanji told them.

"Better him, than say Yukiko risking herself," Yosuke replied, "Plus, he already has a Persona, and he's fought his Shadow." Yosuke looked at Kanji, "What could he possibly worry about? He'd probably be just waiting for us to find him, or kill all the Shadows and come back himself."

Rion chuckled, "I'm glad you share my sentiment, but I hope if our kidnapper comes I can stop him in the act."

"That would be best," Souji said. "If someone did come after him, I feel sorry for the kidnapper."

"Not having to go to the TV World to find someone else would be a relief," Yukiko agreed.

"Regardless… so Chie… did you say you were sorry for…," Rion was trying to bring the subject back onto the pair of lovebirds.

"No Rion, stop!" Yosuke yelled.

"Snrk…!" Yukiko started laughing.

"Great… see what you started," Chie muttered.

The subject went back to Chie and Yosuke and moved to much lighter topics as the day went on.

Chie stopped Souji as he began to walk away from Junes. It seemed she had something to say.

"You've been a good friend to Yosuke," she told him, "It seems you helped him out a lot."

"Not really," Souji shrugged.

"No…," Chie shook her head, "Now… if you could only stop him from doing stupid things."

They chuckled and light shone over Chie's head.

The Persona that she had been using, "Tomoe" had transformed into "Suzuka Gongen"

"I guess this is what I get for training all the time with you," Chie told Souji as she noticed the change in her, "Thanks for helping me realize all of my potential."

She handed a pair of wristbands to Souji.

"Hmm?" Souji asked, confused, "Are these hers? But they seem clean?" He thought.

"Don't worry, they're new," She explained, "This is for all times you trained with me and helped me realize I can fight together with everyone, instead of fighting by myself."

"Thanks…," Souji expressed his thanks towards her, "All those times we've trained together made me a lot more resistant to Galactic Punts." He reminisced about all the kicks he had received in the nads from his training.

"Your welcome," as Chie walked off towards to Yosuke, who was going to walk her home.

"This is only slightly weird…," Souji muttered to himself.

Souji went home and read after the whole ordeal. He went to bed early, feeling that tomorrow was going to be even crazier than the last.

"Souji-kun!" Yukiko exclaimed as she ran up to him, "Rion was right, it's going to rain this weekend."

"Really?" Souji responded, "That sucks. I guess we will have to watch the Midnight Channel. Are you still coming over or do you have to babysit the idol and the film crew?"

"I'm coming over. My mother told me they're annoying," Yukiko chuckled, "Really pushy. She doesn't want me to have to deal with them."

Souji chuckled with her as they went to class.

The day went rather quickly, but as he left with Yukiko, Souji saw her stop suddenly.

"What's wrong?" he asked as she had stopped near the gate.

"Oh, it's nothing too important," Yukiko responded, "Just that something really insane is going to be happening to our group again."

"Why do I feel this is not going to be good," Souji muttered.

---

Way over OOC coming

Rion returned home after another boring day of school. Well, at least got some sleep out of it. He'd need it for later. He had felt awful today, and he guessed it had started since he woke up this morning.

"I treated both of them terribly," he had said to himself, thinking of Naoto and Rise, "I shouldn't have put them through all of that. I should have been more helpful. There were things I could have explained and done that I couldn't do for them, no didn't do for them."

Most of all, it had seemed to hurt his heart. It was terrible.

He didn't have a nice adobe like Souji. He lived in a small condo on the 2nd floor that was actually owned by a landlord who lived downstairs. Though the old man was nice, the actually living quarters were rather cramped. Souji's temporary lodgings far outclassed his own. His small kitchen was to the left, next to the sitting area when one entered from the stairs and through the door. A small TV that Rion watched the Midnight Channel from and one large window were to the right, along with an entrance to his room. A single cherry cabinet that held many things was placed next to his room. A single table, next to his TV, held his memories of the family he once had. At least the landlord was almost always there. If someone were to come to kidnap him, he'd know about it.

Rion sighed and pulled off his school uniform. He put on an outfit to relax in. Khakis and a green polo, which he'd refuse to, pop the collar. He knew he'd have work after the interview, so he'd have to change again. He pulled out scrubs as well. He rolled his eyes. He knew high school students who cleaned at the hospital, but not ones who helped nurses. He knew more than some of the nurses. He hated when the ones who were lazy.

Rion was about to go over some of the possible questions for the interview when he got a buzz from the landlord.

Rion went to the buzzer and asked after greeting the man, "What's the matter?"

"You have a visitor. Are you expecting one?"

"No… Who does this person look like?"

"She's a girl. A pretty one at that. Short blue hair, pale complexion… she's wearing your school uniform."

"You sure about that?" Rion asked. Rion was thinking to himself, "She wouldn't come here. She doesn't have the guts…"

"I'm sure… I'll send her up you lucky guy."

"Oh great…," Rion thought to himself, "Wait a second!" Before he opened the door, he ran and grabbed his phone.

For a second he could only stare. Kanji would be so jealous at this sight of Naoto Shirogane. She never seemed more uncomfortable at the sight of Rion, either. She was blushing like a cherry. She was wearing your typical school girl outfit. He thought, "She fits the school dress code!"

"Umm… can I come inside…? It's cold," Naoto asked and in a high voice as well.

"Of course you can," Rion backed out of the way and let her in. His thoughts echoed, "Her real voice too!"

"Umm… so this is where you live… I had to look it up," Naoto told him, "I really wasn't sure."

Rion rolled his eyes, "I know. It's so small, even in Inaba you can't find it."

Naoto wasn't sure if she should laugh, but Rion told her to stand still, "What? What do you want me to do?"

"It'll only take me a second," Rion said as he pulled out his phone and took a quick photo with it, "One day in a school uniform, a lifetime of memories."

"What!?" Naoto was shocked. She lost all control of her blush, which was already in high gear and yelled, "Erase it now!"

"Nope…," Rion chuckled, "Gotta send it to everyone first. I need to see if Kanji bleeds to death."

"Please… please don't…," Naoto pleaded. She was going to die of embarrassment.

"Come on…," Rion said, "It won't hurt." He sent it, "It's done." He laughed at her sweet innocence.

Naoto pouted as the heat rose to her cheeks, "That is completely illogical. What's the purpose of that?"

"People should see you as you. Not as who you hide yourself as," Rion explained, "Anyways, you came here obviously because you wanted to cut out the middle man and even beyond the threat of death by blushing, you wanted to get it done with."

"That was the main idea," Naoto confessed as her blush seemed to never disappear, "Do you mind?" as she glanced around his place.

"I guess," Rion shrugged, "There isn't much to see though." Naoto thanked god his eyes never left her face.

Naoto went around and looked at the various things Rion had in his "condo" while Rion stood off to the side.

"What's in the cabinet?" she asked as she opened it, "Weapons?"

It was indeed weapons. A few of them were the ones he used every day they went into the TV, one of the walking sticks/staff and a ninjato. Accompanying them was a matching ninjato and two weighted knuckles.

"What are all these?" she asked, "Why don't you use all of these in the TV?"

"I don't use all of those… unless I have to," Rion said, "I'd have trouble hiding those under my uniform."

Naoto nodded, "That's understandable." She walked over to the small TV in the living room, "Is this where you watch the Midnight Channel?"

Rion just replied with a quick, "Yes" before Naoto moved to his calendar which Rion had circled the date and had 7pm written in for "interview"

"You're having an interview!?" she asked, temporarily gaining her composure.

"I told everyone except you and Rise that I'm doing so to try and draw out our kidnapper," Rion explained.

"Why are you being so stupid?" Naoto questioned, a serious look on her face now, looking at him straight in the eye.

"It's just that I have the best possible defense against our kidnapper. A second-floor building, with a landlord to head me off of a possible suspect; I have faster reaction times than you or Souji, and I'm stronger than Kanji."

"That's not a good explanation," Naoto fumed, "You could get hurt!" She was genuinely worried for Rion.

"Even if it fails, I already have faced my Shadow, and I have a Persona. I'll be okay," Rion tried to explain and calm her down.

"I still think you're being reckless and foolhardy," Naoto muttered.

"Well, that's obvious," Rion responded, "But rather me, than anyone else. Last time someone did that, it was you."

Naoto blushed at his last statement. "I don't need to be reminded about that," she said.

As Naoto turned to the little table to look at Rion's pictures, a rumbling sound came from her stomach.

"What was that?" Rion asked.

"I haven't really eaten… all day," Naoto was embarrassed, "Yakushiji-san prepared my outfit in the morning, so I was too rushed to eat breakfast. And I was too nervous to eat lunch."

"Well… we can remedy that," Rion chuckled, "Let us make some breakfast food!"

Rion dragged Naoto over to the kitchen while she blushed, "Us!? Why us!?"

"You're not getting a handout unless you help," Rion smiled, "What do you like to eat?"

"I like eggs…," Naoto said nervously, "Omelets, I guess…"

"Perfect…," Rion said as he started pulling things out of his fridge.

Naoto looked in, "Are we really going to do this?"

"It's not hard, and I'll help. No worries!" Rion chuckled. "Let's hope that this doesn't turn out like the last time we made omelets…"

And now the disaster called Naoto Cooking began!

Rion found that it was a bad idea to make Naoto try and cook.

"No, don't crack the eggshells so the shells go into the bowl with the rest of the egg," Rion told her.

"I don't want to cut the peppers…," Naoto complained.

"You use a gun, but you don't want to use a veggie knife?"

"You're the one who uses a sword, Rion…"

"Fine then, you make sure the meat doesn't burn," Rion ordered.

As Naoto went to check on the meat and rice, her elbow brushed the egg batter, and while Rion moved sharply out of the way… the batter landed all over the kitchen and on Naoto's socks.

"Oh…," Naoto looked devastated, "I'm sorry."

"I'll clean it up…," Rion said, "Don't worry about it."

"But… I made a terrible mess," Naoto complained, "I wasted your food."

Rion shrugged, "It is okay…" Rion pointed at her socks, "Just take them off and I'll throw them in the wash. I'll give them back to you once they're clean. I won't tell anyone that you left your socks here."

Naoto was blushing scarlet again as she seemed reluctant to follow that order, "O… Okay."

After the kitchen was clean again, the cooking continued and finally the omelets were done. They looked edible as they were taken to the sitting area.

"I hope this is better than eating Spicy Hell," Rion muttered.

"Huh?" Naoto asked.

"Just a previous experience with the Persona team, and their cooking," Rion explained.

"Okay…," Naoto said slowly.

Rion tasted it, and it wasn't bad. It seems that Naoto did a pretty good job after all.

"Good job, Miss Detective," Rion complimented her.

"T… Thanks…," Naoto replied sheepishly. She thought it tasted good too. She hadn't made food for herself before. She noticed he had not called him Princess today.

"Hey... Rion? Did you see me, at the springs?" Naoto asked.

"Does it really matter?" Rion responded.

"It matters!" Naoto exclaimed.

Rion shook his head that he did not.

"Can I ask you something?" Naoto put forth.

"Umm… okay?" Rion agreed.

"I saw the pictures on the table. Those were your parents, right?" Rion nodded and Naoto continued, "Can you tell me about them?"

Rion sighed and said, "Well… I never planned on giving you guys that alcohol. It was meant for me. My parents died at Port Tatsumi Island. They didn't classify it, well technically as a death, but I knew they died. We stopped there in-between competitions in 2009. It was in November. I was relaxing, while my parents were taking a stroll. They said they were going to the Moonlight Bridge. They never returned," Rion actually shed a tear and was choking up a bit, "The police didn't know what happened to them. Said they went missing, but could never find anything… any traces of my parents. I knew that they had died." Rion suddenly raised his voice in anger, "The worst part is… I suddenly forgot they died. It wasn't until they didn't come home again, that I figured out that they were dead. I forgot that my own parents were dead! What kind of a person does that make me!? A terrible one!"

Rion shook his head as he took off his glasses and brushed the tears in his eyes, "I disliked my parents. They were terrible people at times. They forced me to train and study almost non-stop. We had to move almost constantly, and I was exploited. The last thing I wanted, however, was for them to die." Rion had to brush his tears away again.

Naoto finally saw a side of Rion she had never seen; a sensitive side to him that he was hiding from others.

"Rion… I'm sorry," Naoto told him, "I don't know what to say…"

"I had to move on. Even if I didn't always like them, they were still my parents," Rion shook his head, "I can't push this onto you. You lost your parents as well. It isn't fair to do that."

Naoto realized his caring words and his compassion. She also realized the pain he was in when they had this conversation.

"You must be so uncomfortable here… You can leave if you want…," Rion muttered, "The courage you had in even coming here was far beyond I ever expected. You have fulfilled anything I had ever wanted from you to be."

"Umm…," Naoto was unsure and about ready to turn when Rion said, "Naoto…"

Naoto turned back at this and felt larger arms envelop her smaller body.

Naoto was in shock. This was the most uncomfortable she had even been, but at the same time, she was in disbelief. Rion was hugging her.

"If you pity me, please stop…," Naoto told him.

Rion only held her tighter in his arms, grasping her closer to his body.

"I understand that you are in pain, but if you need someone to comfort you, I'm sure you can find solace with someone better than me."

Rion had finally let go of her after that, "Naoto…," was all he said after that.

"Please… don't play with my heart anymore. I understand you don't like me. I'm glad you see me as a friend, but don't do this to me. I've never been hugged like this, especially not by a person my age…," when Rion cut her off.

"You need to learn when to just shut up… Naoto-chan," Rion muttered.

"I…!" Naoto tried to rebuke him when lips enveloped her own. The softness of the kiss never changed, and Naoto who felt like pulling away at first, decided to just enjoy the moment. She finally understood what it meant to be a girl.

When Rion finally broke the kiss, Naoto seemed out of breath. She said, "I've never been kissed."

Rion looked at her, "I guess you just need practice." He proceeded to laugh at her.

"You make me so uncomfortable, you non-lizard brained imbecile!" Naoto exclaimed, but regardless nestled her head into his shoulder.


	20. Chapter 20

RepresentationofP4Ch. 20 (I just noticed that on Nov. 3rd they didn't have school. It's Culture Day, but I won't bother to fix it)

I own nothing, I am nothing, and Persona owns me. Anyways, Atlus owns SMT and Persona

This chapter covers up to Nanako brought to and thrown into the TV.

Okay… more super angst, More OOC actions by some people. Liberties are being taken, and you have to bear with me at least till chapter 22. The story will be back to completely normal by then. 2 more evolving Personas and 1 more upcoming soon by the next chapter.

* * *

Naoto was quite cozy and warm being nestled in Rion's shoulder, if slightly uncomfortable for her. Yet, Naoto became less uncomfortable as time went on. She wondered to herself, "What caused his change of heart? Does it really matter right now?"

Naoto saw blue fire rise from her body. Her Persona was changing. The diminutive Persona that helped to built Izumo changed into what else, but a cross-dressing king, "Yamato Takeru".

"This is what I've gained through my love… and by being with him," Naoto murmured, "He was able to change me to who I really am."

"I'm glad to have helped," Rion smiled. He thought, "About time I did something right."

Naoto asked, "So, does this mean you'll stop teasing me?"

"Not in a million years," Rion responded, "Princess."

Naoto pouted, "Not fair…" She thought, "But, I'll be your princess."

Rion was broken out of his own reverie by looking out of his window. He saw a broken-hearted girl running away from the front of his condo, the rain mixing with her tears. That girl was red-headed. That girl was a Persona-user. That girl… was Rise Kujikawa, and one of the people… Rion had treated terribly yesterday. Rion wanted to apologize to her, but he didn't want to damage what he had just figured out with Naoto. Fortunately, or unfortunately for Rion… Naoto saw Rise as well. "What am I going to do?" he thought.

"Why is Rise-san running away?" Naoto asked, lifting her head, "She seems distressed."

Rion sighed and explained, "She suffered an abusive experience yesterday by a conversation with another idol. I also may have made her angry when trying to discuss how to fix and regulate the situation afterwards.

"Poor Rise-san…," Naoto said, "Judging by your expressions, I believe you want to speak to her and apologize."

"She is one of my best friends… But… I understand if you don't want me to go," Rion explained.

Naoto thought to herself and blushed, "He's thinking of me…" She said to him, "Its fine, go talk to Rise-san." She removed herself from his shoulder and smiled at him.

Rion nodded and left the room, and headed for where Rise had run off. She had ended up near the floodplains when he caught up to her. He had run the whole way without bothering to grab an umbrella beforehand. It was the only way Rion was going to catch her. Rise was indeed crying, and the tears were coming down in streams, much like they were yesterday while her umbrella lay on the side, forgotten. Yet, they were different from the tears she shed yesterday from Kanami's barrage of insults… Those were tears of anger and distress. Her tears were streaming down her school uniform when Rion walked up next to her, picking up her umbrella and giving it to her.

"Rise-chan…," Rion said softly. "This is not going to be fun," Rion thought.

Rise didn't want Rion's sympathy, "L… Leave me alone… I… I don't want to talk to you!" Rise was inconsolable at the moment.

"Rise…," Rion said in a slightly more commanding tone, "Just listen to me…"

"No!" Rise yelled through her tears, "Who will listen to me now? When Souji rejected me… I had someone to talk to. Now… I don't have anyone." She broke down completely, "I'm completely worthless…"

Rion wanted to smack her… She was back to her old ways of feeling worthless when something went wrong. And here he thought he might have been able do something, but he had to try. Rion looked at the distraught girl and said softly again, "Rise… look at me," Rise turned her puffy eyes towards him, albeit reluctantly "You look terrible. Please don't cry… I don't want you to cry. You're my best friend." Rion hated making people cry, and he seemed to be so good at it recently.

Rise brushed her tears away, "Rion-senpai… I just… I wanted you to be there. You were always there, and I wanted to be the one to k… kiss you. This wasn't some stupid infatuation like with Souji-senpai. This was… This was love."

"Rise-chan… I don't know what to say. I'm sorry," Rion told her.

Rise looked at him as she sniffed and said, "I… I shouldn't be like this, I know. I should be happy for you. You looked so happy with Naoto-kun, and she looked happy too. Kanji will be so pissed though."

Rion wanted to laugh at her last sentence, but he composed himself. "Do you want to go for a walk?" Rion suggested as Rise wiped away the rest of her tears from her face, "You can yell at me all you want about all the stupid stuff I've done, okay?" Rion steadied himself, for this was not going to be easy.

"Yeah… I'd like that. I need to go and change. I look like a mess," Rise accepted his offer.

They began walking down the floodplains to clear Rise's head, and to get Rise's makeup cleaned up.

---

Meanwhile…

Souji, Yosuke, Teddie, Yukiko, and Chie had all met up under the sheltered table when Yukiko said she had gotten this weird feeling. Kanji had to help his mom, and would be there soon.

Souji had just received a text just a few minutes ago from Rion. It contained a picture of Naoto that he had sent earlier. It was that infamous schoolgirl picture that he had taken with his cell phone. Needless to say, it caused quite a stir among his classmates and Teddie.

"Wow, that's amazing…," Yosuke said, "She looks… well wow," He was promptly hit by Chie, "Sorry, well… how did Rion get this picture?"

"It's Rion, you idiot!" Souji exclaimed, "He hangs out with her more than anyone else except for maybe Rise. She obviously likes him."

"Nao-chan looks so cute," Teddie said, "I want to see her!" He was promptly hit on the head by Yosuke.

"I doubt she'll let you see her like that," Yosuke responded.

"I never thought she would do this though," Chie put forth, "She's usually so against doing anything like this."

"Yeah… I wonder if this is why she was so nervous at school today." Yukiko asked, "She looked like a complete mess."

"Shit, Rion," Souji was thinking, "How did you pull this off?"

---

After all the drama had been cleared, well temporarily, Rise and Rion were walking down Samegawa Floodplains, the flowing river in the distance. Rise had calmed down a bit since she had broken down in front of him. But Rion was still a little worried about her psyche. It hurt the young man to see her that way. What bothered him the most was that it caused a pang in his heart.

Rion explained that he was going to be on TV, and it worried Rise, "You shouldn't do it…"

"You know I'm trying to help people," Rion explained.

Rise wouldn't have it, "It's irresponsible." She sniffed.

"Isn't it…," Rion said, "But when am I not acting rash?"

"You do things like that way too often…," Rise admitted softly, "You should be careful. I don't want to have to save you too." Secretly, she meant it would hurt too much.

Rion decided to change the subject. He knew far too well what she meant by those words.

"I haven't always done the best I could for you," Rion admitted, while not fully looking at her. He seemed to be more enamored with the trees, or he was trying to be. He didn't want to look in her eyes. He was failing too.

"What do you mean?" Rise looked at him while she placed her hands behind her back.

Rion shook his head as he failed at his attempt to not look at her and said, "I'm sorry for spiking your drink and basically knocking you out at the club."

"So… it really was you!" Rise exclaimed. Any sadness she had was forgotten as she stared him down.

"Yeah… Pershona… all the way," Rion smiled as Rise pushed him, "Hey!"

"You're so mean…," Rise complained, "You spiked my soft drinks!"

"Like you aren't mean… Why was I stuck cross-dressing?" Rion asked, "I had to dress as much like a boy as possible so I didn't look stupid."

"I didn't want to leave you out. I don't know… It was like they were already annoyed at Souji and Yosuke for making them participate, and Kanji seemed too desperate for Naoto to compete. I think you just got caught up in the cross-fire," Rise shrugged, "You just imitated Naoto-kun." She shook her head sadly. "Of course you would imitate Naoto-kun."

"I imitated Naoto-kun cause I was trying to make her act like a girl," Rion explained. "Besides, "Rion said to her, "You were the one who suggested signing us all up though."

"I thought it'd be fun to see you in a dress…," Rise chuckled, "Except you did not wear one."

"That's it, you're the mean one," Rion rolled his eyes as he stated the facts, "And if you wanted me to wear one, you should have dressed me yourself."

"The only reason you had to dress yourself is because you had to work," Rise responded. Rise shook her head, "You also walked in on us while we were at the hot springs."

Rion rolled his eyes again, "During the guys' turn to use the springs, let me remind you."

"It doesn't matter!" Rise exclaimed, "We didn't even get to pummel you with buckets like you should have been."

"I'm sorry you can't throw a bucket fast enough, Rise-chan. But, if it makes you feel better, I wasn't watching," Rion explained to her. He smirked, "But you sure did get a good look at me."

She blushed scarlet at remembering Rion with his toned and muscular bare chest. Maybe that's why she was slow at throwing the bucket.

Rise looked at him shyly, "O… okay, I believe you, but I'm still mad." She looked at him and asked slowly, "Are you sure you weren't trying to take a look?"

Rion pretended to look innocent, "I'm not going to say anything." Rise hit him over the head.

"Ohh… I see how it is," Rise smirked, "You were trying to "take a look".

"Again, no comment," Rion shook his head again, "How about you make an edible omelet next time, and then we'll talk, okay?"

Rion was shoved again as Rise exclaimed, "Meanie! That was a mistake, okay! Nanako-chan liked it."

"Nanako-chan would like anything. She's much nicer and tolerant than all of us," Rion told her.

"You're right… she's totally innocent and such a polite girl," Rise said.

"I just feel bad that…," Rion started to say before he spotted a girl ahead of them coming from the riverbank. It was Kanamin in a black blouse and skirt, and it looked like she was ready for another round of abuse to give to the former idol.

"Heeey! Risette! Come here!" she yelled, "I want to have a talk with you!"

Rion told Rise, "You don't have to deal with this. Just ignore her."

Rise steeled herself and told Rion, "I have to redeem myself and face my fears. I need to face myself." After that, she walked away from Rion, and towards Kanamin.

"If this is what she wants…," Rion shook his head and pushed up his glasses, "I believe in her."

"What do you want this time?" Rise asked. She had wiped away all of her tears, and showed none of the former pain she had felt yesterday, or even from about twenty minutes ago. She had to have been pushing a lot away so she could keep a straight face.

I just want to have some more fun with ya!" Kanamin said in glee. She pointed at Rion, "Oh… that's the boy that stopped you yesterday… Who's he?"

Rise wasn't sure what to say, "He's… he's my friend from school."

"Right… I'm sure you have friends," Sounding disbelieving that Rise would have a friend like him, "He's far too good looking. He looks like someone who should be with me," Kanamin gestured to Rion, "Why don't you come with me?"

Rion rolled his eyes in denial, "I'll have to pass, little girl."

"What did you say!? Do you know who I am!?" Kanami asked Rion, "I'm Kanamin. Why are you even near this loser?"

"I'm someone who will never stop watching over her," Rion responded. Rise turned her head for a second at his remark. She wasn't sure by what he meant but she had to respond to her rival.

Rise stared her down, "Do you even have a real friend, Kamanin?"

"What do you mean Risette?" Kanami asked, sounding a little confused.

"I mean someone who cares about you? Someone who trusts you?" Rise responded.

"Of course I do!" Kanami rebuked.

"I don't mean your fanboys and girls," Rise rolled her eyes, "I mean people you can trust."

"I don't get you… I have tons of friends. More than you!" Kanami said proudly.

"Do you really?" Rise questioned, "Name the ones who really care about you? Do you trust in them?" Rise continued, "Do you trust your manager? Do you trust your own parents?"

Kanami couldn't say anything, "I… Quit this crap! Don't give me this shit about my friends! Or my parents!"

Rise felt arms encircle her own waist, and she was taken by surprise. Rion's arms had reached around her and made a circle to hold her against him. Rise just about gasped as she felt his warms arms wrap around her. It was a complete contrast compared to the rain that had surrounded them. Any words that she was about to say to Kanamin evaporated in her throat immediately. "Why…?" was the thought that crossed her mind.

"What the hell is this?" Kanami asked, watching the scene unfold between the pair.

"Tell me, Kanami," Rion asked, "You say you have so many friends, but can they prove that fact to you?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Would your friend ask you "How you are doing?"?" Rion asked, "Or if you were sad, "How can I help?" or, "What's wrong?""

"Of course they would!" Kanamin told them, "I have many that would ask me something like that."

Rion stared her straight down and said slowly with a sigh, "I don't think you really understand the meaning of friendship."

"I have no clue what you mean!" Kanamin yelled at him.

"A friend is someone you can count on to save you. Rise has gained friends that would risk their lives for her. Can you say the same?" Rion questioned the idol.

"Risking their life? Why the hell would someone need to do that?" Kanami asked incredulously.

Rion chuckled inwardly, "You have no idea, but Rise has friends who would."

"And who the hell are you then?" Kanamin questioned Rion, "Are you someone who would do this? Would you waste your life on this trash?"

"Without a second thought," Rion told her, "She is someone that my life is worth living and dying for."

"What the hell?" she asked, "Why…? What's so…?"

Rise looked up at the taller man in happiness and spoke for the first time since Rion came to her, "He already has," she said, "He risked his life for me, and saved me."

"This is the biggest bunch of bullshit I've ever heard," Kanamin muttered. But, it was obvious that she was shaken by what she said.

Rion began speaking to Kanamin again, "I'll tell you what I'll told Rise. It's what drove Rise to take time off. You will lose confidence in yourself by not seeing your real self. You will become a pawn to everyone else. Your manager, Inoue, will use you to his advantages. The producers, directors, and agencies will use your talent to mold you and suck every last yen out of you. You'll see very quickly that your "so-called friends" will only want to know what's "new" about you, and not how you feel."

Those words touched Rise and rang home with Kanamin. It was a mirror image to what happened to her. She was held down by those exact things.

Kanamin shook her head, "I don't believe you." Yet, when she left, she had a much more distressed look on her face, "Go have fun with your boyfriend! Call me when you have your first kid."

After the younger idol left in a huff, Rion slowly removed his arms from Rise's waist. She turned around and looked at him. She was exuding happiness and was smiling. It didn't matter anymore to her that her makeup was running. She opened her mouth and said, "You know… you didn't have to stand up to her like that. You told me that I should do that on my own."

Rion responded slowly and deliberately, "I know I said that… but I felt like it." Rise smiled at him, and Rion returned with a small one.

"Thanks though…," Rise said sheepishly, "I think it really worked this time. She may leave me alone for a while."

"You did really well," Rion told the former idol, "That's all I ever expected and more."

"That's only cause you came in and started talking," Rise pointed out, "I could not have done it without you." She nodded with herself.

Rion shook his head in denial, "You were doing fine on my own."

Rise tried to deny it and shook her head, "I don't believe that."

"You said you only wanted me just standing near you," Rion told her the truth.

Rise looked guilty, "You heard that yesterday, didn't you?"

"I'm not completely deaf," Rion shrugged, "You're pretty loud, actually."

Rise cracked a smile, "Guess not…"

The two of them decided to walk down to the riverbank, which was thankfully devoid of Kanami, people named Death, and creepy, armor-selling fisherman.

It was nice down there. You could only hear the whistling of trees, the flowing river, the pattering rain, and fish searching for food. The only people in the area where Rise and Rion, and Rise knew this was her only chance to state her case. She knew he had already set his heart on someone else, but she had to tell him everything, even if there was nothing he probably didn't already know.

"Rion… Rion-kun, Kanami is going to raise hell by seeing your arms around me," Rise told him, "That's probably the last thing I need. An imaginary boyfriend that I don't have. There will be so many rumors going around now. My website will be a disaster now."

Rion shook his head, "I'm sorry… I hope you understood the point I was trying to make."

"I did… Thanks, Senpai," Rise said.

Rion sighed and he started to turn around, "I better get back, Naoto will be worried."

Rise put her arms out, "Wait!"

Rion stopped, turned back, and looked at her, "Yes?"

"You know… I… I didn't want you to let go of me. And hearing Kanamin calling you my boyfriend… Of course, you already knew that."

Rion sighed. He didn't want to say this. It was killing him. In reality, he could hear his own self… his own heart breaking, on the inside. Slowly, he finally started saying, "Rise-chan… There is a part of me… A part of me that didn't want to let you go either. The part of me that never wanted to let you go."

Needless to say, Rise was left speechless. "What is he saying? Did he just say?" Her thoughts were jumbled… Rise's thoughts only became more tangled as Rion moved closer and brushed his lips ever so slightly against hers. It was the shortest kiss one person could imagine, but in a way… it was more passionate than one of lust and force.

Rion put his head down and muttered, "I really can't tell you what I'm thinking right now… I'm so sorry, but I need to think things through. I've made such a mess of things that I can not forgive myself." Rion walked past Rise without a second thought leaving a stunned Rise in his wake. Rion was as solemn as he could be as he left the floodplains walking along the riverbank. He still so much to do that he didn't want to do anymore, but now he felt like his actions had alienated him from everyone. He knew that she saw him, and what had just been done, had been undone by his own actions.

Rise could still feel the tingling where Rion's lips had touched her. It took her a second to get her thoughts together on what happened. "He's such an idiot…," she said, "What is he thinking?" It was the first "real" kiss she felt like she ever had. She felt something above her, and she looked above. Her Persona was changing in front of her; "Himiko" was changing and turning into "Kanzeon". It was no longer the Prophet and Queen of early Japan.

Yet, she wondered if there was any doubt in his heart. She shook her head, "There had to be," as she shed a tear, "Or he wouldn't have been with Naoto." But, she also felt a little jealousy, and even anger that he would play with both of their hearts simultaneously. In the end, love was going to win out with Rise Kujikawa.

Rise couldn't stop from being a little happy though. She turned around to leave Samegawa to do her own thinking when standing in front of her was none other than Naoto Shirogane. "Oh, shit!" Rise thought. Needless to say, Naoto didn't look happy to see Rise Kujikawa, even sans Rion.

Naoto was a mixture of pure sadness and anger. Rise was thinking as she gazed upon the blue-haired girl in the school-girl outfit even in a mix of emotions, "She looks so pretty."

"I hate… why!?" Naoto ran up to Rise by the water and collapsed at her feet, "I… I saw it all…"

"Naoto-kun…," Rise wasn't good at consoling people, "Umm…" She noticed that her voice had never been so high-pitched before. The only time it was ever close to this was when she faced her Shadow. "Rion-kun really had changed her," Rise thought.

"He… kissed you…!" Naoto yelled, "Why!?" Naoto looked up at Rise, "I saw him putting his arms all around you and over you while conversing to that other girl. Somebody please tell me what the hell is going on!? There is no logical explanation for this."

"Umm… well…," Rise didn't exactly know where to start, "Well, that other girl was another idol that had been making fun of me, and Rion was helping me stand up to her. He was pretending to be my boyfriend so she'd leave me alone."

"And why does that involve fondling you?" Naoto questioned, "Why did you even need his assistance? You should be better than that." Naoto was shaking her head.

"Umm… I don't know," Rise answered, "I wasn't really sure, but it… wasn't like that."

"Why… Why did he kiss you?" Naoto was crying now. Rise didn't know Naoto could cry like this. She felt so bad about it all. "I think this is what Rion meant by his confusion," Rise thought, "He's really torn with his feelings." Rise didn't know what she was going to do with him either.

Naoto looked up, "Torn with his feelings?"

"He doesn't know exactly," Rise said sadly, "I think he's very confused. Rion… Rion-senpai is lost right now… I don't think he knows what he wants."

Naoto shook her head and wiping her eyes as she said, "Lost… I thought he just found himself and he got lost again!? This makes no sense. He's acting like an infantile kid who does not understand people's feelings!"

"We are kids… Naoto-kun," Rise responded.

Naoto exclaimed, "Don't give me that right now! Rion should know better!"

"Since when does anything concerning Rion…Rion make sense?" Rise asked. Rise really wanted to call him, Rion-kun but did not want to push Naoto.

"It never does… He acts like a know-it-all who gets out of everything, breaks every rule, and is arrogant as hell," Naoto answered. It seemed like she had ran out of tears to cry.

Rise told Naoto, "No matter how much we want to pummel him for choosing one over the other, or even trying to take both of us; I don't think we'd be able to get through to him."

Naoto sniffed in what might have been an attempt to be a laugh, "I think that the others would want to talk to us after this."

"I think Kanji-kun will want to pound Rion-senpai after this," Rise tried to chuckle, but was unsuccessful.

Naoto rolled her eyes, "I need to change back. Kanji-kun won't get a chance to pummel Rion. There won't be anything left for him to beat after I get done with him."

Rise looked at Naoto as they were about to leave, "Naoto-kun… where are your socks?"

Naoto could have screamed, "RION!"

---

Kanji had arrived while this was all transpiring and was subsequently shown the picture of Naoto in a school-girl uniform. There was temporary worry from the group that he would need a blood transfusion as his loss of blood through his nose was making him rather pale. Luckily, Yukiko knocked him unconscious, and stuck large amounts of tissues in the nostrils.

"He's got major issues," Yosuke said.

"Tell me about it," Souji agreed, "We haven't even told him where we got the picture from. He's going to be so envious."

"Not anymore… Who wants to knock some sense into Rion?" Naoto had entered wearing her usual uniform, talking in her normal voice. She was looking at Chie expectantly

"Knock some sense into… Rion?" Chie asked, "Why?"

"He's a person who can not keep his lips to himself!" Naoto exclaimed, "He goes and…"

"Kisses me out of the blue," Rise said, "But try to calm down Naoto-kun… I thought I explained it to you."

"Well…" Souji didn't want to be a part of this, "Umm… what's going on here?" Souji shook his head as he thought, "He kissed Rise? But I just got that picture, and he's cheating on Naoto… with Rise?"

Yosuke woke Kanji up with a bucket of water and everyone started to listen to Naoto and Rise's story. Kanji didn't seem amused, as expected, "I'll kill him!"

"Calm down…," Yosuke said, "You just lost a lot of blood, remember? Don't raise your blood pressure, or you'll pass out again."

"This is bear-y confusing though," Teddie said, "Why would he do this?"

"That's what we want to know," Rise lamented, "One day he was pushing both of us away, and the next…"

"So…," Souji put it together, "You both liked him, and then he suddenly had a change of heart or something."

"If there weren't two of you, his change of heart would have been romantic," Yukiko looked up at the sky.

"Thanks a lot," Naoto said sarcastically, "I've never felt so worthless and used."

"Well, Rion-senpai will be on TV tonight, and he better show up at school tomorrow so I can kick his ass!" Kanji yelled.

"Man, his blood pressure has never been so boiled," Souji said, "Not even when Naoto was captured."

Yukiko pulled him over to the side and said, "I think Rion's hurting… we should talk to him."

Souji nodded, "He'll talk to me. I'm usually the only guy he'll call."

When Souji did try the call, no one picked up, "No luck."

"I wonder if he left for the interview, maybe?" Chie asked herself.

"Or… he's not answering," Rise said, "He's probably not going to." "He's hiding from us," Rise thought.

Souji just sighed and told everyone to go home.

Rise stopped Naoto before they left.

"Naoto-kun… I'm sorry about all of this," Rise said, "I just wanted to tell you, I was actually really jealous of you."

Naoto looked at Rise. They both had their share of puffy eyes today, "You were jealous of me? Why?"

"I liked Rion-kun for a while, but not anything like the way I felt for Souji-senpai. This was more real for me," Rise explained, "When you joined us, it seemed Rion-kun started spending all of his time with you, and no matter what I did… I could not get his attention anymore."

Naoto sighed, "I understand, sort of. Most of the attention he paid to me was not always enjoyable for me, but I can sympathize with you. He did come back to you after all. We will see what he says when we see him again."

Souji had gone home and made dinner with Nanako. It was a lot easier on Nanako when you had someone who could actually cook, so less of that processed crap for her and her uncle. The TV was on, and Souji was anxious to hear if Rion was going to be on. Sure enough…

"Now for the local news…," the anchorman said, "A local resident of Inaba made news when he qualified for the Summer Olympics in London 2012. Over the summer break, a 2nd year high school student went through the regional tournament and was accepted for the national team for Saber fencing. His name is Rion Ishinata and was a previous Jr. National Champion of Japan. Let's see if we can get a few comments from him." It was Rion on the screen, and he was sitting on a bench near Samegawa with a reporter interviewing him.

"There he is…," Souji said. "Rion looks even more solemn than usual. Maybe he really is affected by what happened today."

"I know him!" Nanako exclaimed, "He's been here. He's famous too?"

"Yeah, he is…"

"Mr. Ishinata, is it true that you are leaving to work with the National Team as soon as you can?" the reporter asked.

Rion looked serious, "As soon as the things that are needed to be taken care are finished… I'll leave."

"Like school?" The reporter asked, "I heard you're finishing school early, and they are even allowing you to taking your exams early."

"I guess… I guess that's part of it," Rion said slowly. Souji knew what he meant. Rion meant the murders. Rion continued, "The team understands I have things to finish and they'll be ready."

"You had to have been rusty after all this time away from the sport. How were you able to come back so easily and qualify for the team?" the reporter asked.

"I was able to do some special training. Before you ask, I can not disclose on what kind of special training it was," It seems like Rion was covering all of his bases.

"Rion is smart…," Souji thought, "It's not like he'd disclose what we do."

If the reporter was confused, he didn't show it, he asked, "You have dual citizenship, correct? You could have competed for Great Britain correct?"

"I am half-Japanese and half-British," Rion explained, "But, I'd rather compete for Japan."

"Is there anything else you would like to say?"

"I just want to say…," Rion said, "If I hurt you… I'm truly sorry for what I've done."

"At least he's apologizing…," Souji thought.

The reporters looked confused, but the interview ended after a few more questions.

After that, Nanako and Souji began eating again when Nanako finally said, "Dad's late."

"I guess he is," Souji said.

The doorbell rang and surprised both of them. Nanako thought it might have been Dojima, "Did he forget his keys?" and she ran to the door. She walked back after checking, looking disappointed, "It was the deliveryman. He was asking where Mr. Takahashi's house is.

Right after that, the phone rang, and Nanako reached for it. It was Dojima of course.

"Hello, this is the Dojima residence," Nanako answered.

"Nanako… This is dad," Dojima said.

Nanako was happy, "Oh, hi Dad!"

"I'll be back late tonight," Dojima told Nanako over the phone, "I'm sorry."

"Uh huh… All right. It's okay, I know it's your job," Nanako told him, a little sad.

"You'll be okay all alone?" Dojima asked.

"Uh huh… Uh huh… Big bro is with me, so I'll be fine," Nanako replied.

"Okay… that's fine," Dojima responded

"All right then," Nanako said

"Bye, Nanako"

"Okay… Bye bye!"

When Nanako hung up she turned to Souji and said, "Dad says he's coming home tomorrow."

"That's too bad," Souji told her.

She steeled herself from her disappointment and put up a brave face, "But I'm not lonely… You're here with me!"

Souji smiled, "She looks sad on the inside," he was thinking.

She looked cheerful anyways, but then says, "It's cold outside too." She looked at Souji, who was still sitting, "Wanna bring out the kotatsu? Dad said we could pull it out it if it gets too cold. That'll make it nice and warm."

"Sure!" Souji said.

It was pretty chilly and the lack of indoor heating made it cold inside.

Souji helped Nanako pull out the kotatsu. It took two people to pull out that heavy thing. Souji helped Nanako plug it in. He was a little suspicious when it sparked a lot when it was plugged in.

"Okay, I'm turning it on!" Nanako said cheerfully.

She flipped the switch on and off multiple times, but nothing was happening. It made Nanako frustrated.

"What? It's not coming on. Looks like it's broken," Nanako said.

"That's silly," Souji said, "Let's get the best one from Junes!"

"Huh? We can get a new one!? From Junes!" she was excited, "Yay! When you have some time, let's go! We get to go to Junes!"

It was still raining when Souji went upstairs for the evening, so Souji decided he would watch the Midnight Channel. At midnight, as expected, the yellow screen came on. There was someone on the Channel, but he could barely tell it was someone. There was no way it was Rion, but that was all he could tell. "No luck for Rion. That's too bad. He's going to be pissed off," he said quietly.

As expected, he got a phone call afterwards, so Souji answered the phone. It was Yosuke.

"Hey, did you see that?" Yosuke asked.

"I did," Souji answered.

"It was really blurry, but you saw someone on the screen, right?" Yosuke asked Souji.

"I did, and it wasn't Rion," Souji responded.

"Yeah… Dammit! Is there going to be another kidnapping then?" Yosuke asked in annoyance.

"I don't know…," Souji wasn't sure.

"Let's get together as soon as we can tomorrow," Yosuke put forth.

"We should. It was just far too hard to make out who it was. Maybe someone knows who it is," Souji said. He thought, "I wish Rion would show up at school, but I doubt he will."

"Let's just keep our schedules open after school," Yosuke said.

Both of them hung up after that.

After school, they all met up at Junes, underneath the covered benches. The only one who wasn't there was Rion, much to Kanji's disappointment and to Rise and Naoto's as well, it seemed.

Naoto had calmed down a little bit since yesterday, "I watched the Midnight Channel last night, as you suggested." She looked annoyed, "To think a master of deduction and evidence would strain her eyes over an urban legend like this. And yet… I definitely saw someone."

"We all were like that in the beginning," Souji said.

Yosuke asked, "Could any of you tell who it was?"

"I couldn't," Souji shook his head. The rest shook their head as well.

Kanji said, "From a fuzzy picture like that? No way!" He was disappointed he couldn't bash Rion senseless. Souji knew it was driving him nuts that he couldn't take his chair and take it over Rion's head.

"How about the regular TV? Has anyone became famous around here lately?" Yukiko asked the group. She was trying to think outside of Rion.

"I can't think of any offhand," Naoto said, "I suppose there was that politician who came to quell the rumors about the fog. His statement was read on TV. But the chances of him being the one are slim. He returned immediately to the city after his inquiry."

Souji thought, "Naoto is really trying to take her mind off Rion and put it on the case. It must be tough for her." He was wondering if he could have done that if it was Yukiko. He shook his head. He probably couldn't have. "No wonder Yosuke didn't want a girlfriend while this was going on," Souji thought.

Teddie was thinking as well, out loud, "Hrmm… "

Yosuke asked, "What's the matter, Teddie?" He then said, "Oh yeah, they stuck you with the midnight shift because you kept falling asleep on the beds in housewares. I told you to use the TV in the electronics department, right? Did you check it out?"

"How rude!" Teddie looked offended, "I made a promise to Nana-chan and I'm serious about living! From what I saw… wasn't the person on TV last night pretty small?"

"I dunno… It was too blurry to make out any details, including how tall or short they were. It was probably just a dream, or your imagination," Chie said, "Either way, though, did you sense anyone in that world?"

"Nope. No one has come so far," Teddie responded.

Souji said, "Then we'll have to wait another night, I guess."

"I guess so…," Yosuke said, "Good thing it looks like the rain will keep up all night. Don't forget to check again later on."

"I need Rion to tell Yosuke to shut up," Souji thought, "But, he's not here."

They parted ways after that, and left for home. Souji sighed at the lack of information they had gleaned from that day and headed to the residence of Dojima.

Nanako and Souji were sitting at home watching TV in the evening, waiting for Dojima to come home. When Dojima did come home, Nanako got up and walked towards her father. Dojima had a letter in his hand.

"Hey, I'm home!" Dojima said as he walked in.

"Welcome back!" Nanako greeted her dad. She told her father with a smile, "Dad, the kotatsu's broken. Can me and big bro go buy a new one?"

Dojima was confused for a second, "The kotatsu…? Ah, it's already that season, huh? Yeah, the weather has been odd lately." He looked at Souji, "Alright, I'll leave it up to you. Get whichever kind you want."

Souji nodded and Nanako looked at the letter in her dad's hand, "Is that a letter?"

Dojima looked at Souji and said, "It's for you, but…" He handed it to Souji. Souji had a very bad feeling about this. He didn't like random letters.

It was addressed to him, but there was no return address. Souji opened it with everyone watching. It said,

"**If you dont stop this time someone close to you will be put in and killed"**

It looked like another warning letter. Souji thought to himself, "Not this again. Not while Dojima is home!"

Dojima quickly grabbed the letter and read it. He was obviously shocked by what it said, "Hey!? What the hell is this?" He exclaimed, "Not often do we get letters with no return addresses on them." He looked angry, "So I was right."

Nanako looked worried. Dojima looked really angry now. He looked really mad, and at her Big bro. Nanako was ready to tear up.

Dojima went down to Souji's level where he was sitting by crouching down. He asked, "Be straight with me… You're involved in the case, aren't you? What are you up to?"

Souji decided not to talk. "There's no way in hell I'm telling him anything," he thought, "It's not like he'd believe me, anyways."

"So you're not going to be honest with me." Dojima answered, "I've been treating you like family. That's why I've never questioned you like this before. But I see this was a mistake. I should have intervened much earlier because I care for you." Dojima was very direct, "I will have the truth from you today."

"D…Dad?" Nanako was scared.

"We'll continue this somewhere else. But I'm not letting you leave until I'm convinced. This is for you own good… Got that?" Dojima looked at the scared Nanako, "It's alright… We're not fighting. We'll be right back, so don't wait up for us to get to bed, okay?"

Souji tried to calm her down, "We'll be back soon."

"Okay, I'll be waiting," Nanako answered.

Souji was lead to the police station after Dojima drove him, and taken to a small room for questioning. Dojima didn't handcuff him or anything. He wouldn't do that, obviously. While he was sitting at the police station, across from Dojima and Adachi sitting behind Souji, Souji's cell phone went off. Dojima quickly got up, went over to where Souji was sitting, and took the cell phone from Souji's hands.

Dojima told him, "I'll hold onto this." Souji no longer had a cell as Dojima returned to his chair across from Souji. Souji needed that. How would he order pizza now? Really, now there was no way for him to contact his friends.

Dojima wanted answers, "Now speak up. What have you gotten yourself into? What was that warning letter about? Why would you be sent something like that?"

Souji decided to tell him everything about well… everything, "Might as well. He isn't going to believe me," he thought. "Personas, Going into TVs, All-Out Attacks, and Galactic Punts!" he told Dojima.

"Personas…? Going into TVs…? Are you making fun of me?" Dojima told him, "I thought you'd finally tell me what's going on in here." When Souji tried to keep going on about the art of Galactic Punts, Dojima got annoyed, "Enough! That's enough!" He sighed, "I guess half a year wasn't enough for you to trust me like your old man. But I hoped you would open up to me a little." Dojima sighed, "It's a shame." Dojima shook his head, "Stay here for the night." He walked away and Adachi quickly got out of his way as Dojima exited the room.

"Whoa! Sorry…," Adachi said as Dojima left. He looked at Souji after Dojima left,

"Dang… Go inside TVs… and Personas, huh? Well, you can't blame him. I mean, sure, I want to believe you. And I know Dojima-san brought you here, and asked you those questions because he wants to believe in you too. Plus, you know, you'll be safe here. He probably freaked out once he saw that letter and thought he had to protect you. Like what a father would do for a son. I think he cares for you a lot. So yeah, don't take it so hard."

He explained, "Y'know, Dojima-san's started looking into the people involved with the first case again. Guess he wasn't satisfied with the case wrapped up after all. That's why he's even more sensitive about this and that…" Adachi was cut off by a knock on the door. "Ahaha… I better shut up before I get chewed out again. Alright, I'll be just outside. If you need anything, just let me know."

"Yeah, can I ask you to let me out?," Souji thought to himself.

---

Meanwhile,

Yosuke and Teddie were working at the Junes' grocery department.

Yosuke sighed, "Why do I have to pitch in with stock duty?"

"It's because I'm not working hard enough," Teddie replied, "There's no getting around it."

"And you're proud of that because?" Yosuke asked, "Why am I taking care of you anyways?" He sighed, "I shouldn't have bought you this." He handed Teddie a cell, "Hang onto this, okay? It's your own cell."

"I've entered the Information Age!" Teddie sounded excited. Yosuke just rolled his eyes at the bear-human's exuberance.

"We'd get worried if we couldn't reach you," Yosuke said, "It's just a cheap kid's model, though."

Teddie was very gracious, "Th… Thank you, Yosuke!"

Yosuke tried to explain, "So, to use it, press this button…" He gave up and pulled out his own, "Uhh, scrap that. Watch, I'll show you how I use mine."

He speed-dialed Souji, but since it was taken away by Dojima, got no answer. He's not picking up," Yosuke said, "It's raining right now, so I was going to remind him about the Midnight Channel. Does he not hear it because he's out?"

Teddie picked up a huge basket of something that looked like candy and told Yosuke, "I wanna go to Nana-chan's place! I promised to play with her lots!"

Yosuke denied him, "We're not going! And put those snacks back! It's already dinnertime, so save'em for your next visit." While Teddie looked down, Yosuke thought while saying, "Oh, I get you… If he's out, that means Nanako-chan might be home alone."

Teddie exclaimed, "I feel bad to think of her staying home all alone. We could take her some dinner, please!"

"Okay, I hear you!" Yosuke shook his head.

"So we can go!?" Teddie asked expectantly, "Sweet! You're so mature, Yosuke! I think my heart just skipped a beat because of your thoughtfulness!"

"Hang on a sec, I'll try calling again," Yosuke said. Obviously, no luck again, "He's still not picking up. Oh, duh. I forgot to try his home line." So, Yosuke called the Dojima household.

Nanako picked up, "Hello?"

"Hey, Nanako-chan." Yosuke asked, "Is your brother home?"

"No," she answered, "He got a weird letter, and Dad saw it and got angry. He took big bro to the police station."

"Wait, what!? He got taken to the police station!?" Yosuke was stunned.

Teddie got annoyed at waiting and listening to Yosuke, "Stop blabbering and let me talk too!" He took the phone and started talking to Nanako, "Good evening, this is your Teddie speaking. Let's get together and eat snacks again."

Yosuke was talking to himself, "Weird letter…?"

"We'll go check up on your brother and dad," Teddie told Nanako, "So don't worry, okay?"

Yosuke came to a conclusion as he was thinking out loud, "Wait, was it another warning letter!? Did he get a second one? And Dojima-san saw that, so… he took him to the police station?"

Yosuke yelled at Teddie, "Teddie, give me the phone back! I need to call the others!"

Yosuke started calling the others, except for Rion who he couldn't reach through the cell.

---

Meanwhile,

Souji was sitting in the lonely police station holding room, waiting for the time to go by. He noticed a small TV in the corner, and that it was reaching midnight, so he thought to himself, "Why not?" He went to the TV and went to watch the Midnight Channel. The yellow screen came on, and it was indeed a small person. And not only that, but it was also Nanako! There was no way it wasn't his little sis. "Oh fuck!" he nearly yelled, but he kept it to himself. "Damn it! I can't call anyone. Dojima took my fucking cell!"

---

Elsewhere,

A man, "Poor thing… I'll put you at ease soon…"

---

At Rion's

An opened cabinet was absent of his weaponry, He was looking at an address book and a map, "Well… it'll be too late to reach her, so I'll have to take this route. Okay… God help her, and may god help his soul when I reach him." He started placing the weapons in slots on a bike, and grabbed the helmet. "I hope you know what it will be like to suffer."

---

On the road in Samegawa towards Dojima's residence,

Naoto was running towards the Dojima's home talking to Chie over the phone.

"Wasn't that Nanako-chan on the Midnight Channel just now?" Chie asked Naoto, "How could it be her?"

"I know what you're thinking, but Nanako-chan does fit the pattern. She wasn't seen, but she was heard," Naoto told Chie.

"What!?" Chie was dumbfounded.

"Do you remember the politician who visitied a local school, and made the news multiple times? In those interviews, he always quoted a particular student he spoke with. The child became well-known while remaining anonymous. That child was Nanako-chan! A reporter who took interest in this released her photo and interview using her real name in today's evening paper. But even before that… This is a small rural town. Her identity must have been circulating for quite some time now," Naoto was out of breath.

"Oh my God!" Chie was speechless. Chie felt terrified and scared for Souji's cousin.

"I should've realized it much sooner…," Naoto was downtrodden, "But I was hung up on the idea of people who were "shown" on TV. It didn't occur to me that this would qualify." She thought bitterly, "That's not the only reason I was distracted. That's exactly why…"

Chie was flustered, "What are we going to do? Nanako-chan's all alone right now, isn't she?"

"I'm on my way there as we speak to check up on her!" Naoto responded, "Yosuke-senpai is heading to the police station! He said he called Kanji-kun too. They'll explain the situation!"

"I'll join them right away! And I'll let Rise-chan and Yukiko know!" Chie yelled.

"Yes, please do!" Naoto yelled back. She just wondered, "Why can't we get a hold of Rion-senpai?"

---

It was a little later in the police station when Teddie, Yosuke and Kanji arrived and ran into where Souji was being held.

"Hm!? What are you guys doing here!?" Dojima asked, "Hey, what do you think you guys are doing!? I didn't say you could go in there!"

Teddie, Yosuke, and Kanji appeared and Souji immediately stood up to face them.

"Nanako-chan's missing!" Yosuke exclaimed to Souji. This shocked Souji and he stood up quickly. Unfortunately, as much as it shocked him, Souji almost expected this.

"What!?" Souji still yelled.

"Wha…!? What do you mean!?" Dojima was shocked and confused.

"Naoto's on the phone, calling from Nanako-chan's… I mean, your house," Yosuke handed Dojima his cell phone, which had Naoto on the other side.

Dojima asked seriously and in worry, "Shirogane!? You there!? What the hell is going on!?

Shirogane answered, "I'm at your house right now. The front door's open and there's no one inside. I'm afraid that Nanako-chan has been kidnapped by our serial killer. Surely you must've known, Dojima-san!? The case isn't over yet!"

Dojima couldn't say anything as he threw the phone on the table, leaving Naoto on the line. He picked up his own phone, "This is the KJ customer service center. The number you have dialed is unavailable right now. The phone may be switched off or is out of our coverage zone." He could only say, "Nanako…"

"Dojima-san…," Adachi tried to comfort him.

Dojima looked at Souji, "Is this true? Has Nanako really been kidnapped?"

"We have to hurry…," was all Souji said, "We don't have much time."

"Why!? Why Nanako!?" Dojima yelled.

Yosuke tried to explain fruitlessly, "It's probably because the media…"

Dojima ignored him and went over to the land line and picked it up.

Adachi asked, "What are you doing?"

The phone rang, "Traffic Division, Ohta speaking…"

"There's been a kidnapping! Get your men on it immediately! Start with checkpoints along the highway!" Dojima yelled.

Ohta was flustered, "Checkpoints? Umm, could you explain the situation a little more…"

"Quit griping and get to it! The victim's a seven-year-old girl! My daughter!"

"Wait! What about the scene? What makes you think this is a kidnapping!?" Ohta asked.

"That's… Look, this could be connected to that multiple murder case!" Dojima yelled over the phone.

"Connected!? But, we caught the killer. How long has she been missing? Have you received any notices or ransom letters?" Ohta asked. He was flustered by Dojima's constant raving.

"N… No, but Dammit… There's no time for this right now!" Dojima exclaimed.

"Um, alright… I'll try contacting each of the departments."

Ohta hung up… It seemed like a lost cause.

Adachi pointed out, "Even if you tell'em it's connected to the murders, we can't prove it. And everyone on the force thinks the case is over and done with."

Dojima started walking away, and Adachi asked, "Where are you going?"

He yelled at the gofer, "I'm going to save my daughter! If this is connected to that murder case, the top brass won't accept the facts until it's too late. I'm not going to wait for those clowns."

Adachi yelled back, "But do you even have any ideas or leads on who took her? If they used a car, there's no way…"

"Shut up! That's why I'm hurrying!" Dojima ran out the door.

Adachi was pacing when he said, "Augh!? What am I going to do? Dojima-san ran off half-cocked."

Yosuke pleaded, "Adachi-san, we'll go look for her, too! So please… let him go!"

"Huh? You know I can't," Adachi answered. Souji wanted to punch the defective in the face.

After his denial, every other person in the group rushed into the room… well almost every other person.

"So what's going on!?" Chie yelled.

Adachi was freaked, "Whoa hey! If I let all of you guys in here, then I'm really in trouble! Besides we really don't if this thing's a…"

"Quit your bitching! Now ain't the time for this shit!" Kanji yelled at Adachi, "The hell are we sitting here for if this guy's family is in danger!? You gonna own up if something happens? Huh!?"

Naoto tried to calm him down, "Kanji-kun!" That worked effectively.

"I know how you feel, but if you don't tell me what's going on, there's really nothing I can do," Adachi explained.

Naoto reasoned, "Ah, so you agree so release him once we explain the situation? Very well, then."

"No, t… that's not what I meant," Adachi was trying to cover his ass.

Souji said, "Let's look at what we know again. If we sort it out, perhaps we will get a better idea of it all."

The group all agreed and left it to the midget detective to explain. She was the expert here. She adjusted her hat, and began.

"There's no doubt in my mind this is a kidnapping by the same culprit who was behind the others," Naoto said, "Now. Consider that the front door at Nanako-chan's house was open. I examined it, and found no trace of forced entry."

Chie was a bit shocked, "You mean… Nanako-chan opened the door herself?"

"Precisely," Naoto answered.

"But, she wouldn't do that," Souji said.

Naoto continued, "The culprit didn't sneak in. He came boldly up to the front door and pressed the doorbell."

"Like how it was for all of us…," Yukiko lamented.

Adachi was confused, "Umm… "For all of us?""

"But the circumstances were different for her, as compared to us," Naoto told the group, "Remember what Nanako-chan said to us when we were at the hot springs?"

"No…," Souji thought.

Naoto told them her quote, ""I always do what my Dad tells me, like not opening the door for strangers.""

"So, is the killer someone Nana-chan knows?" Teddie asked.

"Souji-senpai, do you have any insight into this possibility?" Naoto asked Souji.

"A friend of Dojima's, maybe?" Souji answered.

Adachi answered, "Nah, probably not. Dojima pretty much keeps to himself at the station. The only one Nanako-chan might know is me, his partner."

He looked nervous, "Uh… I've been here this whole time, though." As he said it, Souji gave him a look.

"I don't think we can limit it to people Nanako-chan knows," Chie said.

"I agree," Naoto said, "Then let us change our perspective slightly. We know for certain that the culprit must be using a large-screen TV. "

Adachi was confused again, "Huh? TV? What?"

"Each victim was taken at a different scene, yet thrown into a TV almost immediately after being kidnapped," Naoto deducted, "I would go as far as to say that it happened in front of their houses. Therefore, the culprit must be taking a TV with him as he goes."

"You think he's using a car?" Yosuke asked.

Naoto told him, "Given the efficiency of the culprit's methods, I would assume a vehicle larger than a sedan. However... No unusual vehicles have been sighted. I'd expect someone to notice, since most of the victims vanished during the day."

Rise said, "So it's someone Nanako-chan knows, who has a car, but it's a car that can't be seen?"

Yukiko shook her head, "I think we can rule out the possibility that no one has happened to see this vehicle. Especially since it's happened so many times now."

Chie was thinking out loud, "A car no one would notice? Is there such a thing? What would it be?"

"A delivery truck…," Souji said after thinking for a second, "No one would look twice at it."

"Oh yeah, one came to my house that day!" Kanji exclaimed.

"You're right, no one does look twice at it, no matter where it is," Rise shook her head.

"If it's a local company," Naoto said, "It'd be same deliveryman every time so he's not a stranger to Nanako-chan. She must've received packages from him during the times she was home alone, meaning we wouldn't know his face."

She looked at Adachi, "Adachi-san! Is there anyone who fits that profile!?"

"A profile formed by a bunch of kids talking it over?" Adachi was dubious, "Let's see, a delivery company, huh? I dunno… Take it from a detective… I think this is going to be a lot more difficult than…" He went over to Dojima's files on the case and was shocked at what he found, "Hey! Maybe you're not too far off base! Dojima-san put this stuff together to reinvestigate the first case, the murder of that announcer. And there's a deliveryman mentioned right here. I better go tell Dojima-san!"

Souji shook his head, "bunch of kids?" "We were the ones who saved all those people while you were doing nothing and bringing me into custody."

He ran out to talk to Nanako's dad who had been running around "half-cocked".

The group went to look at the files. Souji read the files, "After resigning from his last job, he took up the family delivery business. Before that, he was a council secretary!"

"Taro Nametame!" Naoto exclaimed.

"The enka singer's husband!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"All we know about him is his occupation, but I'd say that's enough to tell us where to go next," Naoto explained, "The address is… It's not far from here!"

Adachi came in after that and he sighed, "I give him the clue and he still finds a reason to chew me out."

"Is he gonna be okay? The killer isn't a normal guy!" Chie was worried.

"Nana-chan!" Teddie worried.

"Adachi-san!" Yosuke yelled.

Adachi turned around, "If there's been a break in the case, I'd better hurry to the scene. I'll just have to hope nothing happens here while I'm gone. I didn't see anything."

"Adachi-san…," Naoto said with regret.

Yosuke's cell went off. It was a text message.

"Who's it from?" Souji asked.

"Rion…," Yosuke said incredulously, "It says he racing towards Namatame as fast as he can, and he wants us to hurry over." It brought surprise to everyone's faces.

"We have to go to Namatame's place! Dojima-san is probably is on his way now!" Yosuke said, "I guess Rion is too."

---

The truck was flying down the road at fast speed. It was green and white, the local company of Inaba, KJ. Namatame was very exhausted as he was driving very fast and swerving like a drunken man. There was a large TV in the back of his truck. Chasing him was a familiar white car that Dojima-san had picked up Souji in at the beginning of the year. "Hang in there, Nanako! Daddy's coming for you!"

A black motorcycle revved in the distance and started its own flight towards Namatame.

There was a sharp turn, and Dojima had to make a drifting turn that almost made his car flip off. "Shit!" as Dojima was forced to swerve to get out of the way of an oncoming car. The other car spun out from the maneuver. The truck and the car continued their chase when Namatame noticed the Dojima's car slowing catching him. So, Namatame pulled his parking break. The truck flipped sideways and Dojima's car crashed into it. It made one hell of a mess.

Only minutes behind, the cycle was swerving through the same turns and jumping over the same bumps into the roads. When he stopped over on the shoulder to see the carnage, he took off his helmet, and said quietly, "Holy shit!"

---

Back on the road, people running, not driving/cycling,

Yosuke, Souji, Kanji, and Naoto all saw smoke from where the crash had happened.

"What the!? Hey, is that smoke!?" Kanji asked.

"An accident?" Naoto said to the group in wonder. She gasped as she realized what it probably was. She thought, "I hope Rion-senpai or Dojima-san wasn't involved."

Adachi was there, and Dojima-san somehow ended up underneath his car. No one noticed the black motorcycle on the side of the road.

"Dojima-san! Are you alright!?" Adachi asked.

"Wh… Where's Nanako?" He tried to ask.

Naoto was flustered as she made a cell phone call to the emergency services, "Hello? We need an ambulance, quickly! There's been an accident. One adult male has been injured."

Adachi looked around, "That's right! I should call backup too! We gotta find Namatame!"

"Nanako? Where's Nanako?" Dojima kept saying. Souji had to guess he had a concussion.

The rest of the group had just arrived at this point, "What happened!?" Chie asked.

Dojima explained, "Was on my way to Namatame's house… when I saw him… drive past me… I… I gave chase… and he… dammit! Where's Nanako? And Namatame? Find them! Please!"

"But how!?" Yosuke asked. He had a revelation, "Oh yeah, maybe there are clues in the truck."

Adachi cried out, "Wait, you can't! We need to preserve the scene!"

Naoto told Adachi, as she was a detective, "Then allow me. If it rains again while we wait, the information we need will be lost regardless."

Naoto got to work on raiding the truck for clues and any information of the killer.

"Look! There really is a TV in there!" Chie yelled. Souji nodded aimlessly. He knew he had a Namatame to kill now.

"Yes, large enough for persons of any size to fit through," Naoto said, "I also recovered a diary from the driver's side. Most likely kept by Namatame himself." She opened it and read from it, "I learned the existence of a new world… Thus, I must save people."

Kanji wondered, "Save? The hell does he mean by that?"

Naoto gasped, "This… It's is the list of the victims' home addresses! Mayumi Yamano, Saki Konishi, Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa… Even the victims who survived and were never released to the public are written here. I note that Mr. Mooroka's address is absent from this list."

Adachi said, "Wow… Then that settles it."

Naoto continues, "The last date is today's… "I can't believe such a small child appeared on it. I must save this child, no matter what.""

"It has to be about Nanako-chan," Souji said.

Naoto continued, "I managed to take her to safety. The police have been active lately. This will probably be the last time I write in this diary. I've done everything I can."

Yosuke gestured, "It's clear now. He used the same trick on everybody. He'd just ring the bell like he was making a normal delivery, then throw the victim into the TV in his truck. Namatame is the killer!"

"We need to go save Nanako-chan! Here, let's use this TV and…," Chie was starting to say when she was interrupted.

"Wait a sec! We don't know where we'll enter through this one! What if we end up somewhere dangerous?" Teddie explained, "It doesn't seem like it will be foggy tomorrow, so we should go in tomorrow, the same way as usual!"

"But!" Kanji tried to argue.

Rise argued back, "If we fail, who's going to save Nanako-chan!?"

Naoto said, "Saving her will be our top priority from tomorrow forward. We'll leave Namatame's whereabouts to the police." She looked at the detective, "Dojima-san…"

"Wait a minute…, I thought Rion was supposed to meet us," Souji said.

"Yeah, where is he?" Yukiko wondered.

Rise looked around, "Umm…," She kept looking around, "Oh no!" She pointed over at his black motorcycle that was shrouded in the shadows.

"Don't tell me…," Naoto said worriedly, "He didn't go in…"

Teddie's phone went off, "Umm… how do I answer this?"

"Here… give it to me!" Yosuke said, "You idiot… I hope you didn't do something stupid," talking about Rion.

Yosuke turned on the voice mail, and the speaker phone function; the determined voice of Rion's came out of the phone, "If you're hearing this, you're probably cursing my name as I speak. I chased after Namatame as soon as I knew for sure it was Nanako-chan. Even I was too late for that, and I am sorry."

"You tried…," Souji said, "You failed, though it was probably not your fault."

"Well… when I did arrive... Nanako-chan was gone, Dojima-san was unconscious, and Namatame was nowhere to be seen. Don't bother looking for me, for you can't find me here."

"What the hell did you do!?" Kanji yelled, "You didn't!"

"Simply put, I went the most direct route to save Nanako-chan. If you are asking why I am breaking our most cardinal rule we set at the beginning of our investigation, it is because I am the most suited to go it alone. Also, it is because I am not worthy of fighting alongside you at this point."

"Rion… no," Rise put her head down, "Why!? Why are you doing this!?"

Yosuke was pissed, "Dammit! We told you not to go alone! No one goes alone…"

"There are also other things I want to deal with, but I won't put this in front of saving Nanako-chan. Yet, if I can not save Nanako-chan, and I am forced to only complete my secondary objective… There is a good chance I will not survive."

"What!? He thinks he's going to die!?" Chie yelled.

"We all have our demons… and I have mine. I have become a hypocrite in that fact that I do not know who I am anymore. That's why I don't want you to try and find me if my efforts to save her are compromised. Only worry about Nanako-chan, and not me. When you come for her, you'll understand your need to hurry."

"I don't understand him… What is he talking about?" Yukiko asked.

"Is he talking about Shadows?" Teddie asked.

The recording was finishing, "Be careful out there. I brought everything in that cabinet… well, Naoto knows what that means. I left the keys of my cycle lodged in the helmet. Yosuke… I want you to take the motorcycle and keep it with you so that when you get your license; you have something to take Chie to her kung-fu movies."

"He's giving me his motorcycle?" Yosuke asked, obviously dumbfounded.

"I need a fresh start if I survive anyways. Before this runs out of time, I just want to say to Naoto and Rise... that I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you like this. I had no right, and you deserve much better than me."

"He's such a fool!" Naoto was crying, "He's assuming everything… being so disingenuous…" Naoto went into Yukiko's arms.

Rise hugged Teddie like a teddy bear while she said sadly, "He's running away again. Why can't we just do this together?"

"I think…," Kanji said, "He wants to do this himself. Like Naoto, he's got something to deal with. Maybe he believes it's something much worse than what she faced."

"We'll just have to see. We can't abandon him though. No matter what crap he's spewing," Souji said.

"Right," Yosuke agreed, "No bullshit is going to stop us from saving both of them."

"Yeah… I still have to kick his ass, ya know?" Kanji reminded them.

"You'll have to wait in line," Naoto said through her tears.

A small nervous chuckle erupted through them.

It was around this time that the ambulance arrived and took Dojima to the hospital. He was taken to the trauma center, given an IV, and made sure he wasn't in any immediate danger.

He had slipped into unconscious after some of the work they performed, but he awoke to see a somewhat recovered Naoto, and Souji.

"You guys…," Dojima said.

"Are you all right?" Naoto said a little shaky.

"I must look like hell right now," Dojima said.

"You went through a lot," Souji replied.

Naoto couldn't say anything, so Dojima said, "Nanako… She's… my reason for living. If I lose her… I might as well be dead. She must be so scared right now. Waiting for someone to save her."

He was coughing in pain, "And… here I am…" The pair looked worried, but he continued, "When she needs me most… I'm helpless. What kind of a father am I? I can't even protect my own daughter."

"Dojima-san…," Naoto said sadly.

"You're a damn good father," Souji said slowly.

"If anything happens to Nanako," Dojima said, "I'll make Namatame pay!" He looked at Souji, "You can save Nanako, right? I trust you! Please, save her for me! You're the only ones I can turn to now. Please…" He raised his hand for help.

"We'll do everything in our power to save Nanako," Souji said as he grasped Dojima's hand, "At any cost. You must put your faith in us."

The next day, the group gathered around the Junes table, their "secret headquarters".

"Nanako-chan is on the other side, right?" Yosuke asked.

"Definitely," Teddie responded, "There's no mistake."

"What about Rion?" Souji asked, "Is he there?"

"Maybe… he's really good at hiding if he is there," Teddie shook his head.

Naoto shook her head, "The police are pursuing Namatame, so let's focus on saving Nanako-chan, and finding Rion."

"Yeah, we're the only ones who can," Chie agreed.

"We'll save Nanako-chan no matter what!" Rise agreed, "We'll need to pick up Rion along the way."

"I often thought it might be impossible, but we've finally cornered the culprit," Yukiko said, "We've made it this far… We won't let him take Nanako-chan's life!"

"Yeah… This is it!" Kanji yelled, "Let's go all-out and get it done!"

"I made a promise with Nana-chan!" Teddie said," I said that we'd play again… and that everything would be okay… I promised her that!"

"Yeah, so let's save her!" Yosuke agreed, "We're doing it for Dojima-san, too. Hehe, he'll owe us another watermelon."

"Regardless, we must do whatever we can with what we have right now," Naoto said, "This is something only we can accomplish."

"It'll be no problem. Don't worry!" Chie told them.

"Yeah. We do this the same way as always," Souji agreed, "All we gotta do is find Nanako-chan before the next foggy day and get her out of there. Nothing to it if we keep calm, and get it done. Now let's get our asses in there!"

"Let's go!" Yosuke yelled.

(I definitely massacred the dialogue there. It was weird to write someone else jumping into the TV who doesn't belong in there. This'll be a struggle, but we'll see.)


	21. Chapter 21

RepresentationofP4Ch.21

I can't tell you how hard this chapter will be and is to write. For most of this chapter my point of view will be a character that isn't in the game's Shadow. Difficult indeed… The violence for the first time will start being much more graphic, especially in this chapter. The language is kind of icky too.

I own not SMT or Persona

* * *

After the group had headed into the TV, the mood was a solemn one because of the one who was kidnapped. They all thought that they could rescue her, but it still was worrisome that Nanako was actually inside the TV. Souji was the one who was the most worried, even more than Teddie. Sure, they had someone looking for her already in there, but now they had to worry about him being alone in there too.

"Look at this thick fog!" Yosuke said when they got into the TV.

Yukiko asked, "Does this have something to do with all the fuss about the fog recently?"

"That's a reasonable assumption," Souji said. "I feel like Rion," Souji was thinking, "And that's the sad part, considering he's not here." He didn't know what he was talking about, assumptions and crap.

"Something's weird in here," Teddie told the group, "I think all the commotion in town is affecting this world, too."

"I guess we'll have to hurry now," Souji said, "Rise, can you tell which direction Nanako-chan and maybe Rion is in there as well?"

Rise walked away from the group to go scanning. "I sense her… that way," she pointed to the bottom-right of the plaza, "Wow… What's this warm feeling? Senpai, we need to save her!"

"Right…," Souji said. He was thinking, "I wonder if some of your warm feeling was sensing Rion too."

"Let's go!" Chie exclaimed.

The group walked over to where Rise had pointed. It was the prettiest area they had went to fight and or save someone since they began to search for the killer.

"This is… Nanako-chan's…," Yukiko was shocked.

"It's so beautiful," Rise said happily, "It's like a storybook vision of heaven."

"Like heaven, huh?" Yosuke said worriedly, "Deep down, Nanako-chan must really miss her."

"I can't believe," Souji shook his head, "I don't know how she copes…"

"I'm sure she does. She's only a child," Yukiko said. She looked at Souji with sympathy, "We have to do everything in our power to rescue her!"

"As long as I have all of you guys," Souji said.

"Of course!" Teddie agreed, "We're gonna rescue Nana-chan, no matter what!"

"We can find Namatame later, and give him what's coming to him then!" Yosuke told them, "First, we need to rescue Nanako-chan!"

Souji was thinking to himself, "I do need everyone, but I don't really have everyone here. Stupid Rion, thinking he needs to do this himself."

They decided to enter Heaven for the first time. They soon found it closer to being sent to Hell. The first dungeon was a royal pain without Rion they decided.

It sucked for Souji that the first Shadow they fought in the whole place was one of those magus-type Shadows.

"Come on," Yukiko fired another "Agidyne!" at it, but it didn't work too well.

"Suzuka Gongen!" Chie exclaimed, "Bufula!" That didn't work very well either.

"Dance with me," Yosuke started to fight with his kunai after the mage fired "Agidyne!"

"Rokuten Maoh!" "Mighty Swing!" Kanji yelled to damage one.

"Seiryu!" "Ziodyne!" Souji took one out with his electricity while dodging the flames.

"Geez, that was no fun," Teddie said, patting out some flames on his fur. His claw had magus goop on it.

Turning the corner, they ran into sand-Shadows. They were similar to what they had fought in Naoto's place.

"Go, Suzuka Gongen! Heat Wave!" It knocked the Shadows back some.

Then the Shadows casted "Old One!" It made them all tired and suck.

"Teddie is all tired," Rise said.

"Amaterasu!" "Maragion!" Yukiko's attack finished off the Shadows.

The first floor was full of those enemies that look like one enemy, and then turn into huge faces. Those Shadows were pains-in-the-asses. They liked to lower defenses, raises attacks, and lower agility. At least it wasn't strong against anything, so it was fair game with any Personas. Actually, the group used chairs, kunai, swords, and guns against it.

"Take this!" Souji said as he drove his katana into its face. Kanji followed up with his chair and a bullet rang out in between its eyes, or where its eyes would have been.

"We need to hurry," Naoto said as the group entered the 2nd floor, "Nanako could be in danger."

More exciting experiences awaited them in the 2nd floor. The same Shadows they met on the first were on the 2nd floor, plus exciting new ones.

"It just keeps getting more and more fun!" Souji exclaimed sarcastically.

"Tell me about it!" Yosuke answered.

As soon as they walked up the stairs, there were eagle Shadows, similar to many others they had fought.

"Hear me Amaterasu!" Yukiko yelled. They swooped at her, and Souji and Yosuke intercepted them to hold them off, while Yukiko finished her incantation. "Maragion!" The one that survived the fire was destroyed by the Sun Goddess' swords.

"Alright," Yukiko said… "Hey guys…" she pointed down the way, "More Shadows!"

There were gigas. It was Rion's second favorite kind of Shadows to fight. Souji drew his sword and summoned "Seiryu!" "Matarukaja!" The dragon wrapped around one of the muscular giants and the leader yelled, "Ziodyne!" to shock the Shadow.

"All yours!" "Yamato Takeru!" "Deathbound!" All of the attacks from the others were halted as the giants were suddenly hit by a small Persona flying around and slashing the Shadows multiple times. They were destroyed. It was an attack worthy of Rion.

Two corridors around the floor they saw a stupid book Shadow, which Teddie massacred. Kintoki-Douji and his "Mabufula" made mincemeat of it. "Let's go wild!" as everyone charged in and rushed to do some studying. When they ran into some more, they used "Marakarakarn!"

"So, what do we do?" Yosuke asked.

"This…," Souji said, "Byakko!" "Deathbound!" The snow tiger's claws ravaged the books.

"Good job," Yukiko congratulated.

The tanks attacked the group, and fired into them causing "Diarahan!" and "Mediarama!" casts.

"Magarula!" Yosuke exclaimed, knocking the two tanks into each other, and exploding.

There were two kinds of Shadows facing them at the edge of the stairs of the second floor. "Shit!" Souji said.

A large fortress-looking Shadow, and one with a sword.

"Split up!" Souji yelled.

The castle was taken by Yosuke.

"Be careful!" Yosuke said as Chie was knocked over when she tried to attack. She tried to use her ice and was blown back.

"Ahh!" Chie yelled.

"You're gonna pay! "Susano-O! Garudyne!" This knocked down and decimated the Shadow.

The fort was flanked by Souji and Naoto.

"Mudoon!" Naoto's small Persona fired a dark blast that annihilated the Shadow.

"Did we survive?" Teddie asked.

The group nodded, and Teddie casted "Mediarama!" with Kintoki-Douji.

So the group reached the third floor. They noticed something wrong with this place. Like something else beside Nanako was here.

"Yay, new kinds of Shadows to kill us!" Yosuke said in jest.

Souji rolled his eyes, "Oh, fuck me sideways!"

"Souji!" Yukiko hit him over the head.

There were different Shadows here besides the new ones from the 2nd floor. There was that Shadow who had spikes on different ends of his head. It had wheels as well, and it

liked to skewer the enemy. Any Persona would work, but it still hurt when it hit.

"That hurt, bitch!" Chie yelled, "Bufula!"

"Language!" Yukiko reminded her but that didn't stop her from attacking the Shadows with the same zeal as Chie, "Agidyne!"

As soon they finished with that Shadow, they turned to see a Shadow with faces on it. It towered over the others.

"Don't use Electric skills," Rise warned.

"You heard her," Souji said.

"Garudyne!" Yosuke fired his wind to knock off the top half of the Shadow.

They had to run into the one snake Shadow per dungeon.

Souji's sword and Yosuke's kunai started making a dent in them, but they had to move away from the poison the snakes were sending, plus they kept making the group attack each other.

"Go, Kintoki-Douji!" "Mabufula!" Teddie yelled. The shards of ice that flew into the snakes went all the way up past the crosses until they shattered.

"Let's continue," Souji said.

You know… It wouldn't be a dungeon if they did not run into at least one dice Shadow.

It was only affected by physical attacks, and were accompanied by those plant-like Shadows that had those wing-like appendages on them that spammed "Garudyne!" and "Bufudyne!" Even the dice came in pairs.

"Why!?" Kanji yelled, after using "Mighty Swing!" and failing to kill one of the dice in time, and it blowing up in his face.

"I'll help!" "Heat Wave!" Suzuka Gongen, still did not move fast enough, or inflict enough pain.

Souji's blade, Yosuke's kunai, or Teddie's claws still didn't do enough damage to kill the dice, or the other Shadows. It even was not worth it to use Yukiko's magic on the other type of Shadows, because you could not attack them in pairs because they were always around the dice, so you risked hitting the dice.

"Allow me," Naoto said, as she came forward.

"Be careful, Naoto-kun!" Rise exclaimed.

"Don't worry," Naoto smiled. "Megidola!" An attack similar to the dice's "Last Resort!" blasted through every enemy and destroyed them.

"That was a relief," Souji said as he removed his jacket temporarily to view all the holes from the explosions. "Damn… I ruin at least one jacket per rescue."

"Mediarama!" Teddie and Yukiko said simultaneously to try and heal all of the numerous minor cuts on their bodies.

They started hearing voices after walking into a door on the fourth floor.

"Mom…," a voice that sounded like Nanako rang out.

"That's Nana-chan's voice!" Teddie exclaimed.

"Mom… Where are you?" Nanako asked, "Why did you disappear? Why did you leave me? No… Come back!"

Chie asked, "Are these… Nanako-chan's feelings?"

"But I'm not lonely… I have Dad with me," Nanako told herself, "I know he's always late coming home… and he never plays with me because he's so busy. He can't cook or do laundry either. He tries to be nice, though he is a little scary sometimes, but I love him. Big bro is with me now, too… So I'm not alone. I'm not lonely."

Kanji said, "A little kid… telling herself she's not lonely so she doesn't fall apart."

"You idiot, you'll ruin everything if we act all sad," Yosuke looked at him, "We gotta greet her with a smile."

"Nana-chan…," Teddie lamented. Souji sighed.

As they looked down, they noticed Rise look up. Naoto noticed this.

"What's the matter?" Naoto asked Rise.

"Something's not right. There's someone here besides Nanako-chan," Rise said, "It was faint at first, so I couldn't tell for sure… But there's definitely at least one other person beside Nanako here. And whoever this is… Their power is getting stronger."

"Is it Namatame? Or is it Rion?" Souji asked. "If it isn't Rion… Is this the other reason Rion came in here?" Souji thought.

"Did Namatame duck in here after being cornered?" Yosuke asked, "Like Mitsuo?"

"Perhaps so," Naoto said, "It would seem if he was particularly determined to kidnap Nanako-chan."

"But why?" Yukiko asked, "If he's the real culprit, then he must know the real dangers of coming into this world."

"I don't know," Naoto admitted, "But if it is him, he may have entered from a TV near the site of the accident… Perhaps even the TV in his truck, like Rion. Which means Nanako-chan may be in grave danger! We must hurry!" She was thinking, "We don't have much time at all."

As soon as they started walking again, Rise tumbled to the ground.

"Rise-chan!" Yukiko cried as Rise hit the ground. Chie and Yukiko hit the ground as well as they tried to rush to her.

"What's the matter!?" Souji yelled.

"It's him…," Rise said, "He's coming out of hiding. It's so powerful. He's here."

"Namatame!?" Yosuke asked.

"_No…, me!"_ a Shadow walked forward. It was very tall, and very muscular. He was much more muscular and much taller than any normal man. It looked like Rion if he'd been a knife fight with Kanji; his clothes were all torn and ripped. He was all carrying a wicked ball and chain.

"Rion…!" Chie exclaimed, "You're here!?"

"Guys, this is his Shadow!" Teddie told them. The purple flames around him were higher than other any they've seen.

"Where's the real Rion?" Rise demanded of the Shadow.

"_That pansy?"_ the Shadow looked at them with malice in his eyes, _"That loser is off somewhere. He is probably looking for some little girl. We'll deal with him in good time."_

"Little girl…," Souji said, "Nanako!"

"Where's Nanako-chan!?" Chie yelled.

"_The hell if I know!?" _the Shadow yelled back, _"All I know is that I can't stand you guys."_

"What are you talking about?" Naoto asked.

"_You guys are the biggest pain in the ass ever. You rush off trying to find someone and waste my precious time. This case would have been over by now if you weren't so damn stupid!"_ the Shadow was taunting them, _"Why do you think Rion runs off to save this worthless child himself? It's because you just get in his damn way! It's the same way with these girls." _The Shadow pointed at Rise and Naoto.

"This is Rion's Shadow?" Rise was looking confused. She shed a tear, "That can't be him. Why is he so hateful?"

"_I'll be waiting. I'm going to go find and kick well… my own ass, I guess. This will be a fight to remember. Don't forget to watch kids!"_

"The Match of the Century… Mano v. Mano! Fight to the Death!" it said overhead.

The Shadow disappeared into the fog as it slowly started walking off.

"What in the world just happened?" Yosuke asked the group as the others got up.

"That was Rion's Shadow, I guess," Souji said, "It looked terrifying."

Yukiko grasped Souji's hand as she had realized the danger Rion was in, "We need to save him too."

"Its power… was scary. We need to find it before it finds Rion-kun," Rise told the others, "It plans on fighting Rion alone. I think Rion wants to fight it alone too, but it's so strong."

"What did you get yourself into, Rion-san?" Naoto shook her head in frustration as she thought to herself, "I want to be able to protect you too, like you protected me."

The group continued down the 4th floor. There were no new enemies in the 4th floor, so before moving through the 5th floor, the group called it quits.

The Persona-users were glad to leave Heaven for today, but had regrets of not being able to save Nanako. They were kind of scared of what would happen to her if they took too long.

Yukiko went home with Chie because Yosuke was taking Teddie with him. So, Souji went back to his temporary home by himself. It was eerie how quiet it was inside the home. It was typical for Dojima not to be home, but not having Nanako here... She was so cheerful. Souji remembered when he couldn't stand the girl, but he grew to like having his "little sis" around.

He was rather sad at being alone in the home.

"We need to save her," he thought to himself about Namatame being in there with her.

Souji shrugged as he looked about the living room. They lacked having Rion in the dungeon with them. "We need to get him back as soon as possible," he thought.

Rion didn't have the skills Rise had in analyzing the enemy, but he was the field commander. Souji got all the information from Rise about weaknesses and strengths, but Rion was able to put them to utilize the information better than anyone. He was the best pure fighter too.

"We need to need to go back tomorrow", he decided.

Souji walked to school the next day with trepidation. He was asked a question in school that day.

Which pole is colder, "The south or the north pole?" Souji's cheat sheet was gone too. To him, this sucked. The teachers did find it suspicious that the only time that Rion was awake was when Souji or someone else needed an answer.

Souji did get the answer right by answering the South Pole. "I'm smarter than I look," Souji thought. It had to be the ramen he was eating.

Like he had decided yesterday, the group met up at the "headquarters" after school. They knew what they needed to do to succeed. Souji knew he needed to get as close as they to rescuing Nanako as possible today.

"Let's go, Senpai," Kanji said as the group headed into the TV world.

"Are you ready to go, Senpai?" Rise asked when they reached the plaza.

"Yeah… I'm ready," Souji answered.

And the second foray into Heaven began on the fifth floor. Would it end up even more hellish than before? They could only decide that for themselves.

The Shadows that appeared on the fifth floor were different from the ones experienced from earlier floors except for the dice-exploding ones and the mother Shadows that casted double elemental spells. And the new ones seemed even worse.

There was a balance-looking Shadow that was colored gold, but it had no weaknesses.

"Just hit it with everything you got!" Souji yelled.

"Bufudyne!" Teddie attacked with Kintoki-Douji.

"Go, Susano-O!" "Garudyne!" Yosuke attacked with his wind.

"Agidyne!" the flames from the sun burned with Yukiko.

"Here now!" "Mighty Swing!" Kanji's Rokuten Maoh slammed his sword into a balance.

After a few of those attacks the balances were defeated.

Strolling up the 5th floor the Persona users met the table Shadows with the silverware and flames on them.

The Shadows fired "Maragion!"

"Shit…," Yosuke yelled, "I'm on fire!"

Chie fired a small stream of ice from her Persona, "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah…," Yosuke said, "Susano-O!" "Magarula!" They continued with an all-out-attack. "Let's go partner!" Yosuke yelled.

Hence, the mighty swings of chairs and swords went forward and pummeled thou that would get in their way.

They just turned the corner when Souji had to slash into plant-like Shadows with flowers on them that tried to run into him. Yosuke tried to slash into them as well.

"Mahamaon!" Naoto exclaimed and Yamato Takeru destroyed the Shadows.

As they got to the 6th floor, there was a problem.

"Why is Nanako being drowned out by Namatame?" Teddie lamented.

"We need to hurry," Souji said.

"Yay! New Shadows!" Yosuke exclaimed, "What do we get to kill now!?"

"Shut up!" Chie hit him over the head.

"Chie!" Yukiko reprimanded her.

"Guys…," Kanji warned them as one of the Shadows showed up.

It was a huge giant-looking Shadow with a huge-ass sword.

"Thanks a lot, guys," Souji said, "Now look what happened," as Souji dodged the giant's sword.

"Shut up, Souji, and just kill it!" Naoto yelled.

"Clotho!" "Garula!" The giant was knocked over, and they proceeded to beat the giant over the head with blunt objects.

"About time," Yosuke said.

"You could have done that just as easily," Chie told him.

"Shut up," Yosuke sighed.

"They do argue like a married couple," Rise chuckled.

"We don't!" both of them yelled.

All of them laughed at that. It brought their minds away from their goal for a few seconds. The whole group all knew that this whole situation was exhausting and straining.

Having Nanako captured, and racing to save her as fast as they can was pushing each other's buttons and Souji wanted it to be over so they could all take a rest.

Rise's new Persona was rather useful. She could detect enemies before they attacked, and could tell at least a weakness beforehand. Kanzeon was definitely an upgrade over Himiko. Souji knew it wouldn't be enough if they moved at this pace though. They'd have to move faster to rescue Nanako.

There was a plant-Shadow that was similar to the place in Naoto's.

It swung at Souji, and he moved out of the way. Souji retaliated with his sword.

"Bufudyne!" Teddie yelled, and it shattered. With Chie and the bear they turned the plants into ice cubes.

The biggest disaster of the 6th floor was a cube-like Shadow that had tessellations and would float in the air. When the tessellations went away, it would reveal a small person with a staff casting "Megidoloan". That was a big pain in the ass.

"Damn!" Souji thought as he was knocked over. He watched all of the others fly to the ground.

"Tam Lin!" "Ziodyne!" Souji fired back at the Shadow with the thunderbolt.

"Yamato Takeru!" "Megidola!" Naoto shot the card to try and add her own spin on the almighty.

Ice ended up being a no-go, and only caused more pain for them. So… Teddie used, "Mediarama!"

"Amaterasu!" "Agidyne!" Yukiko sliced her card with the fan as the flames rushed towards the little man protected by the cube.

As Yosuke added the wind, and Kanji slammed into the Shadow, the little man finally died.

Whenever they killed one of those Shadows, all of them rejoiced and Teddie casted "Mediarama!"

"Thank god that's over!" Souji muttered as he felt the healing from Teddie wash over him. The blood on his face disappeared. The small gouge on his face had been completely healed.

Yosuke sighed, "I don't want to go through anymore of those."

Naoto shook her head, "These fights are dangerous for our health. We should avoid fighting any more of these Shadows."

The 7th floor had no new Shadows, but plenty of those sigil-Shadows and table-Shadows.

"This is annoying," Kanji grunted.

The group arrived at a door and heard voices.

"Turn back!" the voice said, "Stop getting in my way!"

They opened the door to see what was in their way. It was a huge golden-balance. It was much bigger than some of the ones they experienced on the earlier floors.

The voice continued, "Why are you getting in my way!? I'm… I'm going to save this girl!"

The balance Shadow would start off by casting "Mind Charge" every once in a while.

"This Shadow is gonna be tough guys!" Rise warned, "Be careful!"

The Shadow was faster than every one. It was a pure magic-based Shadow, as it would only cast pure –dyne based spells. So, that meant it would cast "Bufudyne" "Garudyne" "Ziodyne" and "Agidyne" randomly at the various members of the party. Without Rion to boost their attack or defense, they relied on Teddie instead.

Teddie yelled out, "Go, Kintoki-Douji! Marakukaja!"

"Susano-O!" "Masukukaja!" Yosuke boosted their speed.

Kanji boosted their offense with "Matarukaja!"

"Ziodyne!" "Tam Lin!" Souji yelled to shock it.

After the buffing, "Susano-O!" "Garudyne!" Yosuke shot wind at the golden balance.

"Amaterasu!" "Agidyne!" Yukiko burned the balance.

"Kintoki-Douji! "Bufudyne!" Teddie froze it after buffing the defense.

Chie used her Persona's spear, "Black Spot!"

"Mighty Swing!" Kanji's Persona used its flame blade to slash it down the middle.

All the while, it tried to burn them, shock them, throw them into the air, or freeze them. If they were damaged or wounded, they had Yukiko and Teddie to use "Mediarama!"

The large Shadow really wasn't that strong and Souji knocked into the air with his sword and while it was into the air, Yukiko hit it with her fan, Yosuke sliced it with the kunai, Naoto shot it, Teddie ripped into it, Kanji slammed into it, and Chie knocked into the sky with her "Galactic Punt". (I know you can't actually do that, but yeah)

"Woo! That was easy," Chie said as Yukiko applied the necessary healing.

"It was weaker than expected," Souji told them.

Rise told the group, "I'm worried about Nanako."

"Yeah, let's go," Yosuke said.

The group started walking forward when they suddenly Rise yelled at them, "Oh my god guys!" Everyone looked at her, confused.

"Is it Namatame?" Naoto asked.

"No… it's… its Rion!" Rise told them worriedly.

(This part is completely mine, and is going to be way off based.)

They ran forward to see Rion standing in front of the shadow they had seen earlier. Rion was standing in front of his other self in an area with a large amount of pillars around him.

"Rion-kun!" Rise yelled, "Are you okay?"

"I told you not to come for me…," Rion said with regret, "I told you to forget about me, Rise Kujikawa. I told you to move on, as I do not deserve someone like you."

"What are you talking about?" Rise yelled back, "I can't do that. No matter what, I can't do that."

It wasn't the big Shadow that would taunt him, but it was a different one, _"You should know she would come. They all would."_

"What!?" Yosuke yelled, "There's more than one!"

The real Rion turned around and said, "Of course there is more than one," as the Shadows presented themselves, "There are five."

"Five Shadows!" Souji thought, "Everyone we've seen or rescued have only had one, but he has five!? We've already dealt with his Shadow I thought?"

"Rion-san! Get away from here, leave this to us!" Naoto yelled at him, "We need to get you out of here before you get hurt."

Rion just rolled his eyes. He looked at her, "I expected you to listen to me, Naoto. I don't want you to die either."

There was another Shadow's voice that rang out, _"Now, play nice, Rion. Don't upset the girl. She adores you. You taught her well, it seems."_

Rion sighed, "I know I did… I have to pay attention to you. Can we get this over with already? I'm ready to die."

"Is Rion… listening to his Shadows?" Yukiko asked, "He's ready to die?"

"What the…?" Souji was wondering, "I don't really get this. Is there this many different sides of him that he can not accept?"

"That doesn't make sense. Unless he's already fought them," Yosuke suggested.

"We need to see what's going on," Souji said, "Come on, let's see."

Souji saw there were indeed five Shadows facing Rion as they all advanced forward to get a better view.

"I figured you'd come for me regardless, so I decided to stall them for you," Rion sighed, "Okay, who's first?"

"_I am…, but don't hurt me, okay?"_ the first Shadow said meekly.

It was a scrawny-looking version of Rion. Maybe, "a younger side of Rion?" Souji thought. He was wearing the same white and black for Rion's school uniform, sans sweatshirt. He had the same glasses as Rion, however. He just had very few muscles and shorter hair.

Rion just rolled his eyes, "Oh, this is the side that is scared of my own shadow." He looked at up and down, "Funny, considering you're carrying brass knuckles. I know deep down I have to be scared."

"_But do you know just how scared!?"_ The Shadow taunted in a nasty voice, _"You have no idea! Those fools…!" _Pointing at Souji, and the others, _"Have no idea just how much of a loser and a frightened person you are. You rush ahead blindly without a care, whacking at any Shadow that would get in their way only because you don't want to see them get hurt. It's not like they care for you, but you just value you the fact that they want to spend a small increment of their time with you."_

"I can't deny the truth being put forth in front of me," Rion said flatly, "You natter on and on like a fool, thinking I do not understand what I already know."

"Is this what he believes?" Souji asked, "That we don't care?"

"He would accept that so willingly?" Kanji asked himself, "That's bullshit. I never see Rion scared of anything."

"I can't believe he's saying that…," Rise said, "That is his Shadow saying that, and he's blindly taking it all in."

The scrawny Shadow kept going, _"Even more, you run along all by yourself to reach those girls first, because you were scared they would get hurt. Now look how that turned out! They're crying and they probably want to kick your ass. You broke their hearts. You can't do anything right! You're scared of giving the right answers in school, so you sleep through class. You don't want to give input at the "secret headquarters" because you want everyone else to give their information so they can feel "special" even if they're only spouting bullshit! The reason why you didn't want them to come to find you is you didn't want them to have to see you die, or have them die with you!"_

"Do you want me to call myself a liar?" Rion asked, "I am only myself, and I can't stand to see others hurt. When I hurt Rise and Naoto, I felt like I was the worst person in the world. Though you are my reflection, a Shadow who was not there could not understand what it would be like. Life is cruel, and being scared is only an emotion that one must accept to become real. I have accepted the truth that is I, so be gone, as you are only one facet of my twisted and ruined personality."

"He's unbearevable," Teddie said in awe.

"Some of the things he says… he believes in are just crazy!" Yosuke exclaimed.

The first Shadow walked away, and another one walked up. It was a spitting image of Rion, no uhh… Souji was confused. It was like Rion was dressed in Naoto's detective uniform, hat and all just with creepy yellow eyes. It sort of reminded Souji of the cross-dressing pageant. Yet, if it was Rion, the face was so much softer, it was like a girl.

"So… I hope you aren't completely like her." Rion almost smirked.

Naoto shrunk down at that, embarrassed.

"No, not quite everything," The N Shadow said.

"I'd hope not, considering you're supposed to be me," Rion said, "Naoto doesn't carry that with her, anyways," He pointed at the staff. "I know what this one is about too, so let's hurry this up."

"_You don't want to prove your love to Naoto?"_ the Shadow said seductively, _"You know you love her, don't you? Kanji fell for her, and so did you! You fell hard!"_

Naoto took a step back at what the Shadow was saying, "Love… The Shadow is asking Rion if he loves me." She thought, "Does he love me?"

"_You always wanted a smart girlfriend. You wanted someone you could talk to on the same level of intellect. As a bonus, she's really hot when she wants to be… or when you want her to be,"_ the Shadow winked, _"You just had to draw her out of that shy little self, but inside you didn't mind if she was shy. When that man asked, you so readily accepted, and you played along to get her with you. She's so cute when she gets angry, there was nothing more fun than messing with her, and you just wanted her to accept the fact that she was a girl, and that she loved you too. You know she always did. You kept denying the fact that you liked her, and played games with her and yourself to tell you that "You don't like Naoto Shirogane!" Well, guess what!? You love Naoto Shirogane!"_

Rion rolled his eyes, "You're a broken record, and you know it. Repeating facts I already know is annoying. What I couldn't accept at first, I did, and that's that. You make the fact of falling in love sound like a bad thing. So, go bug somebody else with your endless drivel."

Naoto was speechless while Yukiko said, "Well… he does loves you."

"I know…," Naoto said, "I don't know what else to say." She was thinking, "He feels the same way I do."

Before Rion had a second to recover, another Shadow jumped in front of him to talk. If Rion had grown his hair long and dyed it red… Souji could only roll his eyes.

"_Don't forget about me!"_ the Shadow smiled in glee.

The Shadow's yellow eyes were almost shiny. Souji thought it was supposed to represent…, no it couldn't be.

"Don't tell me…," Rise was muttering in disbelief, "That's it supposed to be…"

"_Aww… Senpai, you don't love me anymore_?" the R Shadow called out.

Rion rolled his eyes, "Did I say that?"

"_You know you do!"_ the Shadow said with an overly cheery smile.

Rise looked at it, "This is supposed to reflect his thoughts on both of us?" She looked skeptical.

"_Sure, the other one said you loved smart girls, but we know what you really want!"_ the Shadow smiled and winked at Rion, "_The real deal! Someone who can hold your arm, and smile! Some real star power… someone to make you look good! Of course, that isn't what you care about, is it Senpai? You love me because I really mean the world to you. You taught me everything about being myself, and defending myself. You held me when I was sad, and picked me up when I fell down. All the time we spent together… It was magical. It was obvious that we would fall for each other. I tried to make it easy for you. Then you made a mess of it, but you came around. In the end, you love me! I would do anything for you, anything with you. The sweet, cute, and beautiful girl that you would never dare call Risette. Rise Kujikawa is the only girl for you. The girl you fell in love with," _The Shadow never moved its eyes away from Rion except when she winked at him.

"As creepy as you're making it…," Rion said, "It's true that I fell for Rise too. I feel terrible that I fell for two girls at once. I'm sure that's why Kanji is planning a slow and painful death for me right now because I fell for Naoto and then placed my lips on Rise's."

"Damn right, I am!" Kanji yelled. Souji chuckled at that, and he swore he saw Rion do the same.

Rion smiled, "Spending time with… not with an idol, but with Rise is why I fell for her. There is no other explanation for this. Love makes people stupid, and I have no excuse for that."

"At least he's being honest…," Souji said.

"Too honest," Chie responded, "Some of the things he's saying… he's been saying even before the Shadows…"

Rise wasn't saying anything at all. Nothing needed to be said. But her thoughts echoed pure happiness.

"Of course, Rise doesn't have a sword with her. I believe she carries a satellite dish on her head," Rion said, noticing the sharpened fencing blade at the Shadow's side.

The fourth Shadow had come to call now, _"It's amazing."_

"What is?" Rion asked.

"_You had the guts to actually come here. You had the guts to accept the other three, and to even tell Naoto and Rise the truth._ _But one thing is, you'll never be able to choose between the two, you indecisive little bastard!"_

"Oh…," Rion shook his head, "This is my indecisive side. The part of me that doesn't know what the hell I'm doing, if I'm coming or going."

The Shadow almost had two faces. It looked like a theater mask, with one happy side, and one sad side. The most noticeable feature was the short bow on his back.

"_Yeah, you finally admitted you love those girls, but choosing between them… Ha! That's a joke," _The Shadow laughed, _"You have got to be fucking kidding me! You can't make a choice to save your life."_

Rion just rolled his eyes at the Shadow's words, "I think everyone knows that in my current state of mind, I could not make that choice in a million years."

Souji had to chuckle at that. He could feel and understand where he's coming from.

"_Oh, let's keep going then," _The Shadow said_, "You don't know if you should bother going to school cause it's such a big fucking waste of time! You don't give a damn and it's not like you're learning anything. You could just show up for the exams and you'd be fine. Mandatory Attendance Policy my ass! You have the fucking school wrapped around your little finger."_

"I didn't know he cussed so much in his mind," Yosuke said while shaking his head.

"_And why are you here anyways? What do you hope to accomplish? Saving this girl? Such a noble plan… You go off saving your "friend's cousin" when he doesn't even give a rat's ass about you really. Really, you just decided to do this at the last minute because it was either dying here, or dying later. You'd just rather die alone that's all. You really don't even care about the investigation, do you? Half the times they ask you to come; you ask yourself, __**"What are we doing this time? Why are we saving Mitsuo? We know he's not the killer, or the culprit… just some jackass who killed Morooka."**__ The only time you ever gave a damn was when you saved Rise and Naoto, and that was a spur of the moment idea. And that turned out nicely, didn't it?" _The Shadow winked.

Rion sighed, "I really don't give a damn about ideals and justice right now. I'm doing it for Souji right now even if he doesn't care about me, but I'm doing this for myself. I came for Nanako and to rescue myself. I'm saving myself. If I die, I die. If I live, I live. My life isn't worth anything. I can't say you're lying, but any bending of the truth I can not accept. If you say I don't care at all for the investigation, that would a flat-out lie, but there are times that I see it as a waste of time."

Teddie said, "He needs to be careful… I could see him becoming a Shadow!"

The fourth Shadow left, and the massive Shadow that appeared before the group earlier stepped in front of Rion. His shirt and tunic were nearly bursting at the seams he was so muscular. He carried a massive ball and chain now, yet there seemed to be something odd about him… something different.

"_I know everything about you,"_ the Shadow smirked and nearly spit at him.

"Why doesn't that surprise me? You are me, after all," Rion said as he sighed.

"_I know you hate them! Your supposed friends!"_ the Shadow yelled, _"You hate everyone! Everyone treats you like gum on their shoes. You hear them talking about you. Calling you "smartass and know-it-all… You shut it all out because you don't want it to bother you, but it really pisses you off!" _the Shadow yelled. He continued with a sneer, _"Even worse, your so-called friends do it too! You know they talk about you behind your back. Every single one of them makes fun of you. No one will ever truly accept you, so you lock yourself away, and even those who say they love and care for you is just some pipe dream. You'll always have doubts about love. No one could ever love you. So, you try not to care, you sleep through class, but they still bother you for answers. And when you help them, they still make fun of you. You can't win. You just decided to run away and give up because you just can't stand anybody anymore!"_

Rion tsked, "I don't like people because people have treated me like shit since I was born. It was conditioned into me from my parents. Sure, they nurtured the pride of a great athlete, and a brilliant mind… But, they tortured me into molding perfection. I told everyone that I loved them, but I truly hated them. Who else would train you until they break you!? Break your legs!? I have to use a walking stick while I'm walking around because of my damn trainers and my parents! That is why I feel such torment and disgust towards people when they treat me like shit! I was conditioned into not feeling anything!"

There was dead silence after the acceptance of all five Shadows.

"Well… don't disappear all at once…," Souji muttered.

The big Shadow started laughing and the group was alarmed. Maybe it was at the fact he was still here, or maybe it was the fact he was just amused by Souji's reaction.

"What is it!?" Rise yelled, "Why didn't you go away!? Rion accepted you."

"_So… Did you think it would be that easy? In his heart he envies our perfection, so he must challenge us," _the big Shadow said.

"Perfection!?" Yosuke asked.

"Every Shadow… is a part of me that I envy…," Rion said.

Naoto told the group, "We have to help him. We should fight with him."

Rion shook his head vigorously and Kanji stopped Naoto from running ahead. Kanji said, "This is Rion's fight. He's got something to prove."

"Well, you aren't transforming… That's some good news, I guess," Rion said with a little sigh.

"Well… don't get ahead of yourself," the first Shadow said, he was much more confident now, "We are everything you aren't."

"Oh, great," the real Rion said, "So, I should start saying my prayers now, then?"

The big one chuckled, _"That won't save you. Nothing will save you now."_

The scared one who carried knuckles said, _"I hope you know that I have no fear."_

The Naoto-ish Shadow said, while flourishing the staff, _"I'm smarter than you."_

The Rise-ish Shadow said, brandishing the saber, _"I'm faster than you."_

The one who was supposed to be indecisive said, drawing the bow, _"I never miss."_

The massive one just said, _"I'm stronger."_

Rion laughed, "I'm impressed, but I have to say; I'm just better than all of you."

As soon as he said that, an arrow flew by, and cut his cheek. It drew a small amount of blood, "Son-of-a-bitch! I guess you're right about not missing," Rion muttered and wiped it from his face.

He spun off the end of his walking stick, and extended his staff, he flipped up a card, and struck it with the top of his staff, "Reach for the Sun! Tajikarawo!" The ever-wise old hermit came forth with his own walking stick and shield. Rion told him, "Hold off the strong one, I can't deal with more than four at a time. You know what to do." Rion smiled, truly smiled, and said, "Are you ready?!"

As soon as Rion started forward he was forced to dance and parry off of the swordsman Shadow.

"Shit, you are fast!" Rion exclaimed. The swordsman just smiled as he parried off his blade, and feinted off of Rion's staff. The speedy Shadow with the long red hair, struck at the 4 and Rion had to swing the top of his staff high right. When Rion tried to counter, the Shadow feinted again, and performed a riposte, and struck at the center of his body. It forced Rion to back flip, right to where an arrow was headed. It struck him in the right shoulder. Rion gasped slightly and broke the shaft off, and spun around a pillar. He met another arrow as he tried to flank the swordsman Shadow and was forced back only to meet the Shadow with the staff.

The Shadow that looked kind of like Naoto struck downward diagonally from the left and it forced Rion him to put his staff up at a 45 degree angle to block it. But, it followed up with a strike upward from the left upwards that hit him in the left kidney, and caused him to stagger backwards in pain.

"Uggh…," Rion muttered as the Shadow gave him no chance to recover as it made a vertical attack straight downwards. Rion lightly pushed up his staff to push off the blow, but the Shadow with the sword came in from Rion's right. The Shadow had lunged in for his heart, but Rion used a burst of strength to push away the staff and duck down. Rion dodged the sword as his knee touched the ground and slid his staff across the floor, hitting the Shadow with the sword's front leg. That Shadow hit the deck.

He saw the former scared Shadow running towards him, and he rose to meet him. The Shadow threw a punch, and Rion parried by pushing it away with his forearm. Rion threw a roundhouse, which was blocked. It left him with his weight on his right foot, and the Shadow tried to backhand him, but Rion caught the blow, and tried to throw him over the shoulder. The Shadow reversed the attack and threw him.

"This is getting old," as Rion picked himself off the ground. The Shadow laughed at him as the others came back after him.

The swordsman struck high right, and Rion parried with his staff downward so he could counter with a side-forward strike to the swordsman Shadow's midsection. The Shadow, however, had feinted with its speed, and had lunged back with its own riposte, and forced Rion to do yet another back flip. He back flipped straight into the sights of the right side of the striking staff of the Naoto-ish Shadow. Rion was forced to the ground again.

"Shit!" Rion said, as he rolled away from a staff strike it tried to force on him while he was the ground. Rion jumped up from the ground, using his back to his feet. Rion tried to sweep the staff-wielder's legs with his own staff but was forced to parry a high lunge from the swordsman with a double hand grip on both ends of the staff, blade hitting the middle. Rion pushed the blade upward enough that he caught the Shadow off-guard, enough so that he could jump and extend both legs into the Shadow's chest, knocking him backwards. Rion thought it would give him a second's reprieve to deal with the staff-wielder, but he was wrong when he was hit in the kidneys and spit out a few drops of blood by brass knuckles. "Damn!"

"Rion!" Rise yelled.

"He's getting his ass handed to him," Yosuke said.

"There are four of them," Souji pointed out. Souji was worried, and he had his hand on his katana just in case.

Before Rion could completely recover, he saw the staff-wielder's weapon flying at a downward angle, so he tried to jump over it only to be nearly hit by an arrow. The arrow grazed his stomach.

"I'm being sloppy…," he thought, as Rion was being isolated by the brawler again. The Shadow used a front kick to drive him back, and threw a left uppercut that nearly broke Rion's jaw. Rion was right; this Shadow would come in without the fear of being hit by Rion. Rion twice struck him straight in the ribs with the staff, breaking at least three, but he continued to fight. Rion needed at least a short reprieve, and as the Shadow tried a right straight punch… Rion came forward and pulled the staff around the Shadow's back while he drove his knee into the Shadow's midsection. The Shadow fell to the ground temporarily.

If only this was giving Rion an advantage, because as soon as this had happened, the swordsman shot back at him, lunging at full speed at the 8. Rion slid to the ground, knowing he couldn't parry this time. This time, he used the swordsman's Shadow momentum against itself, and swept its legs out. It crumpled down like a sack. "Now we're talking," Rion muttered.

Rion still had to dodge repeated strikes from the staff-wielder even before the swordsman Shadow got up, so Rion parried and waited until the Shadow made a forward thrust. When the Shadow did, he parried, spun around, and hit the Shadow in the back of the spine.

Rion put his staff over his back while waiting for the Shadows to get up. It wasn't like he expected to finish them with those weak attacks. He thought it was amusing the Shadows carried the same weapons he did. "They are me, after all." He drew his fingerless gloves with weights on them. They weighed just over three pounds. An arrow whizzed at him, heading straight towards his heart, and Rion put the weighted "knuckles" crossed over his chest. It bounced harmlessly off.

"I hope I'm not making you sleepy?" He asked the Shadows. Rion started bobbing his head and dancing on the balls of his feet. The three had gotten up, and proceeded to charge him. Rion wasn't going to be caught off guard again. The speedy-swordsman was the first to challenge him again. The Shadow's saber went for the 3, the low right. To prevent a large hole in his intestines, Rion struck his left fist up to the middle part of the blade. This forced the blade up so it would miss Rion. Rion knew that the staff-wielder would come next. It was predicable. Rion used his peripheral vision to notice a lower-left diagonal strike coming towards him. Rion calmly thrust his fist forward to stop the staff with his right fist. The scrawny Shadow flew towards Rion, preparing to rearrange Rion's face. Rion wasn't going to have that, so he pushed the other two Shadows away by moving his arms in, then pushing them out at high speeds. Rion then attacked the hand-to-hand Shadow head-on with a punishing left-sided roundhouse.

The other two Shadows backed away slightly as it became a one on one fight. Rion and the Shadow traded punches and dodged each others. As the Shadow threw a straight right punch, Rion caught it, and threw him over his shoulder. The Shadow landed on its feet, and back-kicked him, and Rion spit out some more blood. Two quick jabs by the Shadow forced Rion to parry the blows and side punch him. The Shadow was dripping blood from its mouth.

Rion smirked, "Are you ready?"

Rion charged the Shadow before it had a chance to ready itself with his personal hand-to-hand all-out-attack. "From Heaven to Hell!" Rion's left fist had jabbed up right underneath the rib cage, and as the Shadow was rising from the punch; Rion's right fist connected with the Shadow's lower jaw. As the Shadow was still in the air, Rion removed his left fist from the Shadow's sternum and had jumped up with the Shadow to connect that same fist to the eye sockets. As the Shadow started flying backwards in a spray of a blood, Rion moved backwards with it, driving both fists into the chest, and pushing it back into the ground.

Rion calmly said as he landed, "Pray for retribution…"

Rion stepped back from the bloody mess that was the former "scared Shadow". Rion made sure to stay clear of the gray matter that was the remnants of the Shadow's cranium. He removed his now bloody "knuckles" and drew double ninjato or ninja swords from his waist.

He charged the swordsman and the staff-wielder. As the swordsman used its speed to thrust the blade at its leg to try and hamstring him, Rion drove the blade down to the ground with one of his ninjato, and tried to slice his throat with the other. It was blocked by the other Shadow's staff. The Shadow had split his staff into two parts with a chain in between the parts. Rion kicked the swordsman in the face and attacked the staff-wielder. He took his time to block an arrow with a slash from the 4th Shadow first as he thrust at the now split Shadow. The Shadow caught the first blade with the chain, and spun it out of the way, but Rion cut the chain with his second ninjato's upward strike. As the Shadow looked shocked, Rion spun around and stabbed him in the chest, before leaving him to fall to the ground as he removed the blade.

He had no time before he had to feint a move from the swordsman, and then parried another thrust from the fencer. Rion let out a breath and just crossed his swords to drive down the Shadow's next thrust with such force that the blade was knocked to the ground. Rion's first attack started at the pelvis and drove all the way up to the head.

"Too easy…," Rion muttered as he brushed a little blood from his face.

"Is it me, or is this getting really violent?" Yukiko asked.

"This is much more brutal," Souji replied, "We get bloody when we fight sometimes, but Rion is making it slow and painful. He wants them to pay for coming out of him."

"That's scary…," Rise said, "Rion's really getting hurt in the process too."

Rion just moved around the dead Shadow and sheathed his swords, and drew out his staff again. He lengthened to its maximum length and pressed a third button. This one made a small blade extend from the far side of the staff. Rion's staff had become a naginata. Rion had only one Shadow of the four he was taking on left. An arrow was shot straight at him, and Rion split it with his naginata. The fourth Shadow's bow was shaped like a longbow, which allowed for quick and repeated shots. This forced Rion to dodge or cut down offending arrows on multiple occasions. Rion slowly made his advance towards the Shadow. Rion knew that to negate the Shadow's effectiveness, he just had to close his distance between himself and the Shadow. So, Rion made headway towards the Shadow with his quick hand-eye coordination to block all oncoming shafts. Rion had made his way right to in front of the Shadow. The Shadow grabbed an arrow to use its point as a small deterrent from Rion's weapon. Rion bypassed the arrow point, and cut right past the shaft. Rion used the back part of his shaft as he swung hard and connected with the fourth Shadow's head. As the Shadow dropped the bow and clutched its broken nose, Rion rolled the naginata up and over in his hands so he could efficiently stab the Shadow in the chest. The Shadow spit out blood as the Shadow felt the point enter it. Rion dislodged the naginata and the Shadow fell to the ground, face first. Rion backed away from it. "Waste of time," Rion shook his head, retracting the point of his staff.

"That was amazing," Yukiko said in shock, "I can't believe he beat all of them."

All of a sudden, Rise gasped, "Rion! Look out!"

Rion was about to turn and look, barely putting up his staff in time before a spinning ball connected to a chain collided into his side causing a gasp and sharp cry of pain. He could barely hear a scream from Naoto as he crashed into a pillar.

---

A short time before, while Rion was fighting his Shadows.

Tajikarawo, as commanded, was fighting with the strongest Shadow. It wasn't going well. Physical attacks seemed to not work against the Shadow, so "Torrent Shot!" was out of the question. So, then… well… that was all Tajikarawo had going for it besides just banging the Shadow over the head, and that's what the Shadow was doing, but physical attacks don't work. One hit from the Shadow knocked the Persona into the ground, so Tajikarawo had to abuse "Tetrakarn". Eventually, the Shadow caught up to Tajikarawo and knocked it out of commission with one swing of its ball and chain. He had failed his master.

---

When Rion stopped rolling, he had hit one of the pillars. His naginata was in two pieces, and ripped from his hands. As Rion started to get up, his mouth was dripping with blood and he was coughing it up as well. His hands were torn and bloody. He was struggling to breathe as well. His glasses were in four pieces as well. Rion had landed on his head as he had crashed into the pillar.

"Rion-san!" Naoto yelled.

"Rion-kun!" Rise yelled at him.

"Holy shit!" Yosuke yelled.

"Senpai!" Kanji yelled.

"I don't think he can see through the fog anymore," Souji said sadly. Souji thought about interfering. But, Souji noticed about something about how strong that Shadow was, and decided to wait a second. He didn't know if he could win this fight.

As Rion pulled out his ninjato, his breathing was labored. He pointed his blades and tried to charge the Shadow. The largest Shadow easily slammed his weapon into his left leg, and loud cracking noises were heard as Rion landed hard on his back. His right blade was bent. Rion bit off a scream. Souji understood that his left leg was fragile and that his Shadow aimed right for it. Rion's leg was probably in a hundred pieces right now.

"Y… Y… You b… bas… bas… bastard!" Rion was struggling to yell at the Shadow.

"_Your fault… You could have just made it quick and let the others kill you,"_ the Shadow explained.

Rion struggled to one knee and grabbed his weighted gauntlets to shield himself as the Shadow struck again with his ball and chain. It wasn't an effective strategy as it broke through and went straight into his chest, knocking Rion back into the ground.

"_You aren't worth my time,"_ the Shadow told him, _"You are me, but now you're dead."_

"Rion…," Teddie called out, "Are you okay?"

"We need to take it down!" Naoto yelled, "No one attacks, hurts Rion and gets away with it."

"Y… You're right!" Chie affirmed finally. She was a little shaky, "We need to teach it a lesson."

The Shadow was chuckling at their cries for action when Rion called out, "No, don't fight it. You can't win. If you fight it, you'll only lose. You won't die on my behalf."

"Listen!" Rise yelled, "You aren't going to die! We aren't leaving without you! We are going to kill your Shadow and drag your stupid ass back here!"

Souji was a little shocked at Rise's outburst, but said, "You really think we'd let you die here after you suffered so much?"

"That's right!" Yukiko exclaimed, "We're going to beat it down!"

The Shadow laughed, _"It's too late, dumbass! It's your turn."_ The Shadow advanced menacingly towards them.

Naoto pulled her gun, "We'll stop you!"

Before she could fire, Rion started to say as he braced himself on a broken pillar, "I… I…," he coughed up some blood. "I… I… never… I… never should have doubted them… I can't leave them. I… can't… I can't… let them die. I can die… But… they… they can't die… not while I'm alive to try and fight." The Shadow couldn't hear him, and neither could the rest of them. But still, Rion pulled a small blade from the ripped-up zipped sweatshirt that Rion abused the school dress code with. It wasn't even a knife; it was a circular object that slowly got thinner and ended in a circular sharp point, like a handle-less ice pick. Rion was on his knees holding the blade towards his heart. "I… I don't fear… I don't fear death anymore." Rion drew his last Persona card. It was shining even more than usual and covered in blue fire. He placed it over his heart, and Rion slammed the blade into the card. Tajikarawo was transforming as the blue fire flared overhead. The robe-clad elder turned into a warrior. It was a young man, in a white kimono with a silver hakama. The warrior had white gloves with the fingers showing on his hands. The Persona carried silver wrist bracers for shooting a bow. On the Persona's back was a black quiver, but instead of fletched arrow showing; it seemed that the tools of death were more like swords with hilts facing backwards. In the Persona's hands was a powerful bow made of bamboo, wood, and leather that had to be over 6 feet tall. On the Persona's forehead was a type of visor that came down over his eyes, and looked like a type of second radar. On the small part of the Persona's back, were two tiny angelic wings that seemed to flourish made of silver. (I did not copy this off of anything. It was my own idea from the start. I started this novelization a while ago.)

Rion was still on his knees as the Persona had transformed. The transformation had affected Rion as well, as it had given Rion his own sort of visor to replace his broken glasses. It was as white as snow. Both the Persona and Rion's visors came down over their eyes. Rion's voice came out uninhibited this time, "I can see… Everything!" "Rise and Resurrect! Ameno-waka-hiko!"

As the Shadow made his way towards the rest of the group, Souji's team was ready to pull out their cards when they saw Rion. Still, Souji and the others were ready to fight the Shadow when a single silver arrow-blade flew through the air and bounced harmlessly off of the Shadow. The Shadow turned at being struck, even if it had no effect. It saw the Persona drifting in the air and Rion on his knees. "_I thought you went and died,"_ The Shadow said, unconcerned, _"Doesn't matter, your Persona crap can't hurt me."_

"Is that Rion's new Persona?" Yukiko asked.

"…," Rise couldn't say anything but finally said, "It's so strong."

Souji yelled, "We're behind you!"

"Yes, I know…," Rion said, "As I said, I can see everything now. Including the fact that you care for me!" A sound shot out from the Persona, like sonar, "You really are what I wished to be, you know?"

"_Hmm? How so?"_ The Shadow asked.

"You null or reflect everything. You are the "perfect" person to protect others, and help them," Rion said, "But… I can stop you now."

"_Bullshit!"_ The Shadow said, _"You can't stop me!"_

"Not even you can stop this… For it is not a person," Rion said. The Persona flew towards the Shadow as it advanced towards the Persona. Rion said as Ameno-waka-hiko suddenly stopped and raised its bow, "I hope Naoto-chan doesn't mind me stealing one of her abilities." "Megidola!" The Shadow fell back after being hit by the almighty attack.

"He did steal my attack after all…" Naoto said slowly.

"He can scan…" Rise said calmly.

"_Son of a bitch!"_ the Shadow yelled in pain. He swung wildly at the warrior Persona.

Unfortunately, this Persona was really fast, faster even the Shadow that carried the sword. It would swoop in and out of attacks to dodge the Shadow's swings. Rion didn't make it any easier for the Shadow as the Persona would wait until the last second to fly out of the way.

"_Dammit! Stop moving!"_ the Shadow screamed, _"You should be dead!"_

Rion's voice was monotone, almost robotic, "Ten seconds…" "I know how to win. You are immune to physical attacks naturally, so… "How should I deal with you…?" "How about… "Tetra Break!"

The Shadow noticed his physical immunity disappear.

"It has only just begun for you. Let's continue. You are too strong for my liking, and I am not yet strong enough." "Power Charge!" and "Debilitate!" The Shadow felt himself weaken and Ameno-waka-hiko rose in strength as the Persona spun into the air and held its bow in front of him.

"_What the hell!?"_ the Shadow yelled, _"What the fuck is going on here!?"_

"I'm not done… Heat Riser!" Rion commanded, as the Persona's strength rose even more.

The Shadow fruitlessly struggled to strike at Ameno-waka-hiko.

Rion taunted the Shadow, "You told me… That you are me. That is true. More so, if you are me, then you are… only human."

The Shadow tried to run, but the Persona flew towards the Shadow at an impossible speed. It appeared as if there were eight Ameno-waka-hiko's all surrounding the Shadow in the air and each one with an arrow-sword cocked and ready to fire at the Shadow in a perfect calm as if the Persona had been planning the shot for an hour.

Rion sighed, "Die… Hassou Tobi…"

All eight blades were released seemingly simultaneously from their bows and flew into the Shadow and it collapsed immediately. The Shadow contorted and seized for a short time and then, disappeared. The other dead Shadows exploded into blue flames as well.

Rion said softly as every wound on his body, large or small seemed to spurt out blood, "Everyone's safe… I can be at peace. Rise… Naoto… Shall I be the same as Ameno-waka-hiko, cursed by the gods, and die again just as I gain my 2nd life?" As he finished saying this, his Persona disappeared, and Rion collapsed in a heap.

"Rion-kun!" Naoto yelled as she rushed towards him. Everyone else ran towards his unmoving self.

As Rion was drifting in and out of confidence, Souji heard something from Rion he'd never before. He heard Rion scream in pain. It was deafening to hear. Rion's adrenaline must have worn off, and to have him scream… The pain must have been really excruciating.

"You have to do something!" Rise exclaimed, tears streaming down her face.

"Don't scream at us, Rise…," Chie retorted.

"We're trying…," Yukiko answered as she summoned Amaterasu. Yukiko used Amaterasu to cast "Diarahan!"

"Come on Rion…," Souji said, as he cast "Diarahan!" with Tam Lin. Teddie did the same with Kintoki-Douji.

"Let's go… Rion… Time to get better," Yosuke even tried to help by summoning Susano-O and using "Diarama!"

Chie, Kanji, Naoto, and Rise though, were helpless. Kanji could try and console the two girls, which they sorely needed. Kanji was jealous of Rion… Naoto had fallen for Rion, but so did Rise. He had the girl of Kanji's dreams in the palm of his hands, and he couldn't choose between the two girls. It made Kanji mad that Rion could have someone like Naoto right there and not at least love her like he should. But, that wasn't important now… What was important was making sure he got out alive, so Kanji could kick his ass when he got better.

"Guys… Rion won't heal," Yukiko informed them. Souji looked at Rion's wounds as he was trying to heal him. Rion's wounds looked really bad to Souji's limited knowledge of anatomy. Souji knew his left leg was shattered, at least one of his lungs was punctured and had collapsed, and his wrists were broken. Not to mention, the massive lacerations Rion had suffered fighting the five Shadows. If Rion wasn't healing…

"It's like he doesn't want to be healed…," Souji deducted, "Maybe Rion feels like he has done enough. He fought his demons, and that's enough."

"But… He's being idiotic!" Naoto cried out, "Why would anyone not want to be healed!?"

"Rion-kun…," Rise wiped her eyes, "Just listen to us… Let us help you."

"We need to get him out of here…," Yosuke said, "He isn't getting worse, but if he can't heal here… We need to take him to the hospital."

"You're right, Yosuke," Yukiko replied, "If we don't get him out of here, who knows what will happen." She thought to herself, "Maybe he's been poisoned worse than normal. Then we need to get him out of here quickly."

Yosuke, Kanji, and Souji carefully lifted Rion up off the ground, while Yukiko and Teddie continued to try and heal him. At least, to their relief, Rion had stopped screaming in pain. He was still grimacing so hard that Souji was afraid that he'd break his own teeth apart. Rise and Naoto stood by Rion's side as Souji told Chie, "We need to Goho-m!"

When the group left the TV world they immediately called for an ambulance to cart away their critically injured friend. The group told them that he was searching for Nanako Dojima and he was injured in the search. Obviously, Souji wasn't going to tell the paramedics that he was in the TV.

While Rion was being taken to the hospital, the others rushed behind to follow him.

There were a lot of worried people chasing behind him on foot. Naoto was thinking, "You better be alright. If they can't help you…," she wiped a tear.

The ambulance arrived at Inaba Municipal, and the doctors took Rion straight to the trauma ward. The doctors started an IV and ran diagnoses on the Persona-user. By that point, the other Persona-users had arrived. Souji entered the door and asked the receptionists where Rion was.

"Do you know if Rion is still in the ER?" Souji asked.

"Rion?" the nurse at the desk started looking up the file.

"Ishinata," Yukiko answered.

"Oh okay…," the nurse said.

"Please hurry, this is important," Chie told the lady.

"Okay, okay… Umm… I think he was just sent into surgery," the lady said as she pulled out the file saying Ishinata, "Ishinata, Rion? It's going to be a while. The doctors says he's in there for a punctured lung, internal bleeding, ruptured spleen, dislocated shoulder, broken wrist, and a shattered leg"

"Is there someone we can talk to?" Rise asked. She looked worried.

"Are you family? You might be able to talk to one of the trauma doctors if you are willing to wait," the nurse asked, "But… You will have to wait until he gets outs of surgery."

"We're his friends. We were the ones who called for the ambulance," Souji said, "We're really worried for him. He… He doesn't have family."

"Well… It might be a while. We are kind of busy today," the lady suggested.

Souji turned to the others who had formed a circle around him, "I'll stay. I don't have a lot to do. It's not like anyone's waiting for me at home. I'll probably visit my uncle in the mean time."

"Yeah, I'll stay too," Yosuke said.

"It would be wrong not to be there to see if he's okay," Kanji said.

The others voiced their agreement to Kanji's statement.

"I need to tell my grampa where I'll be," Naoto informed them. But Souji had a notion that there was more than what it seemed to what she said.

"We don't know how long it will take till he's out of surgery," Rise said, "You should hurry."

It seemed that if there were any lines of controversy of love or anger between the pair, they would be put on hold until the health of Rion would be confirmed.

"Well, I just hope he's okay," Yukiko said to the group, "I'm just scared for Rion." She put her head down, "We couldn't heal him."

Teddie did the same, "I failed too, Yuki-chan. I'm not much of a healer."

"He'll be fine," Souji said walking between them and motioning them to sit down, "You know Rion. When he starts fighting, he'll heal faster than anyone else." He didn't want Teddie to turn this into a sob fest and try to pull Yukiko into it.

Most of the group decided to take a break and rest up for a little while until they could see one of the doctors. As Souji promised, he visited Dojima to give up an update.

"We're close now," Souji told him. He didn't tell him, "Namatame is in the way."

Dojima was happy to see a visitor but anxious to see Nanako rescued, "I'm glad…," he coughed, "Just try and find her quickly… As long as you find Nanako for me."

After a few more minutes of conversation, the nurses came in to check on Souji's uncle, and told Souji that he had to leave. "He needs his rest," Souji thought as he left.

Souji went back to the waiting room and sat with Yukiko. Chie was sitting with Yosuke. Teddie was sitting next to Rise. Kanji was sitting by himself while Naoto was traveling to talk to her grampa. It had only been about an hour of waiting when a doctor came out. He stood in front of the group, and Souji was the first to stand, but Rise was a close second to walk up in front of the doctor.

"Are you his friends?" the doctor asked wearily. To tell the truth, he had only finished with the surgery about ten to fifteen minutes ago, and wanted nothing more than to rest. But then again, he was a doctor, and he had a job to do.

Souji nodded, "Is he going to be alright?"

"Well… I don't know how to explain this…," the doctor started to say.

At this Rise raised her voice, "Just tell me how he is! Tell me if he's going to be alright!"

The doctor put his pointer finger in front of his lips, "This is a hospital miss, please lower your voice."

Yukiko came in front of Rise and apologized, "I'm sorry, she's just really worried for Rion. She really cares for him. We are all worried for him."

The doctor nodded, "What I was going to say is that when we opened him up to try and stop the bleeding, or when we went to insert screws into his leg… His body was healing itself."

"Healing itself?" Souji asked, "How is it doing that?"

"I don't know," the doctor explained, "I've never seen a person's ruptured spleen start healing after we open him up."

Souji turned to the others, "Do you think it was…"

"Because we were trying to heal him earlier?" Yukiko finished.

"Yeah, it has to be," Yosuke said, "Maybe Rion realized that we were trying to heal him."

"He finally stopped acting like an ass," Kanji shrugged.

The doctor interrupted their conversation, "I need to take care of other patients so I have to leave,"

As the doctor left Chie went up to the desk and asked the nurse, "Are visiting hours over?"

"There is a little time left, so if you want to see someone you should make it quick," the nurse said.

Kanji turned to Souji, "You should probably go see Rion. If he's awake, you should ask him what he was thinking."

Souji said, "Yosuke should accompany me, at the least. Is that okay with everyone?"

Souji didn't want anyone else to come. It looked like everyone else would be okay with that. Except for…

Rise raised a complaint, "I want to see Rion! I want to see… if he's okay." She was teary-eyed again.

Souji looked at Yukiko to stop this. Souji thought that this would be that this would be no time for Rion to have to deal with someone like Rise. It would be bad enough to have to see him or Yosuke. But, Rion just dealt with his Shadows, he probably would not want to see one of his causes of the Shadows.

"Rise-chan… You're so exhausted. I don't think you can stay awake long enough to see Rion," Yukiko explained.

"But…," Rise tried to rebuke, "I'm fine." She yawned as she wiped her eyes.

"We'll go home…," Chie said, "Tell us how Rion's doing, call us."

"I'll take Rise-chan home," Yukiko nodded.

"Tell him to get better," Teddie said.

"Me too," Kanji said, "Tell him that as soon as he gets better he's getting a punch in the face."

The others waved goodbye to Yosuke and Souji before the two walked from the waiting area to the same wing where Dojima was resting. As a matter of fact, Rion was in the room next to him.

"Imagine that," Yosuke said, "We could have visited both of them in a single minute."

"I didn't know they moved Rion here," Souji shrugged. He thought, "Probably because he just got here."

The pair walked into the hospital room to see Rion with bandages on his wrists, his left shoulder in a sling, an IV sticking through his right arm, and his left leg was completely wrapped in bandages and casted. Rion was awake, oddly enough, and focused his attention on the two as they entered.

"What's up, you idiot?" Yosuke asked as soon as he reached his Rion's bed, "You scared us to death."

Rion shook his head and coughed, "You make it sound," He coughed again, "like it was something I could die from."

"And here he is," Souji commented, "sounding like his injuries were minor."

"You could have died, Rion!" Yosuke exclaimed, "Everyone was really worried for you."

Rion sighed, "I know. You had every reason to be worried."

Souji asked him as he came up to his left side of his bed, "What were you really thinking going in there all alone?"

Rion shrugged as best he could, "I thought my message explained that."

"That's not good enough!" Yosuke rebuked him, as he came up to his other side, "Why would you do something so stupid? If you wanted to face your fears, why not wait for us? You know you aren't supposed to go alone." Yosuke actually looked distraught that his friend was hurt like this.

"You know you wouldn't let me," Rion told him, pointing at Yosuke with his good arm; "You'd just hold me back from dealing them."

"You don't know that," Souji said. He looked at Rion, "What I really want to know is… What happened when you jumped in, and how close you/we are to Namatame?"

Rion took a deep breath before he started, "I was no more closer to catching Namatame than you were. It didn't help that Shadows wouldn't touch him. I don't think I ended up in the exact same place he did. I believe I ended up at the beginning of that beautiful place. But those Shadows in Heaven kept harrying me until I ended up having to stop in front of my own Shadows about a day later."

Souji shook his head in frustration, "So we are back at square one." He sighed, "So you're telling me that you meant to chase after Namatame, but you couldn't even catch him because the Shadows wouldn't attack him?"

Yosuke put his arms together, "You got that close to Namatame in one day!?"

Rion nodded, "It wasn't that hard if you run and hide. I know you are all on the verge on saving Nanako. You're close."

"Unfortunately, you can't help us, at least now," Souji told him, pointing at his injuries.

"I know, it sucks," Rion smiled. He pulled his arm out of the sling and moved it around.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Yosuke asked incredulously.

"You didn't expect me to be hurt for that long, did you?" Rion looked at him with a small chuckle, "That healed before you even got here thanks to all of you. My leg, however, won't heal so quickly."

"Why not?" Yosuke asked, "Your shoulder healed in about three hours."

Rion told him, "I've broken my leg before, you know that. There are already pins in my damn leg. It's why I'm already limping."

"Oh…," Yosuke decided to ask, "So… how long will you be out?"

"Too long," Rion explained. He sighed, but he looked like Souji already knew, "I don't know how long until I can function as normally as I can while this worthless thing is messed up," pointing at his leg, "If I leave early, I won't be at full battle capabilities."

Souji shook his head, "So I guess we'll just have to do without you. Take care, Rion."

"Right," Rion nodded, "I'll be waiting for you to bring your cousin back." He motioned to Yosuke from the bed, "Oh… How do you like the motorcycle?"

Yosuke stepped back, "The motorcycle!? What the hell were you thinking giving that to me!? I mean it's awesome, but it's yours!"

"Well… I didn't have a use for it," Rion shrugged, "Besides; don't you need a ride anyways, especially for Chie?"

Yosuke looked embarrassed, " Yeah… thanks…"

Yosuke and Souji exchanged their goodbyes with Rion before they left the ward.

Rion flagged the pair before they left, "Hey, if anyone else decides to visit… can you have them bring me one of my extra pair of glasses?" He threw a pair of keys that had two keys on it.

Souji took them, "One is for the house, I'm guessing, but what about the other one?"

"There's a chest under the bed. Just have them bring whatever is in there," Rion told them, "My glasses would be on the nightstand."

"Okay… I'll help you out," Souji nodded.

"Thanks…," Rion said.

After they got out of earshot, Yosuke said to Souji, "He may be the most reckless idiot ever, but we could have used him."

"You're right… His new Persona seems stronger than anything I have at my disposal right now. I just don't think he can use it that often," Souji agreed. He saw how many wounds opened up and how much blood spilled out when he used the spells and that attack. He sighed as he walked out of the sliding doors and began his way back to the Dojima household. He thought to himself, "That awesome attack he killed his Shadow with… Hassou Tobi? That was one hell of an attack."

---

A few minutes later, Naoto Shirogane entered through those same sliding doors. She had changed her clothes from her usual drab blue pants and button-up coat into the school uniform she was dared into wearing only a few days before, "He better be alright," Naoto rubbed her arms from the evening chill, "I can't believe I'm wearing these. If he's awake, he better be happy."

Naoto walked up to the receptionist's desk who was rearranging files. As Naoto came forward the nurse said, "I'm sorry miss, visiting hours are over."

Naoto calmed herself, and pulled out her flip badge, "My name is Naoto Shirogane, and I am a consultant for the Inaba Police Department. Can you tell me the condition of a Mr. Ishinata, and where he currently is?"

If the nurse was overly surprised, she didn't show it. She told the diminutive detective, "Mr. Ishinata is in Ward A room 145, and is currently resting peacefully. What do you need him for?" The nurse seemed to be staring Naoto down, possibly questioning her young age.

"He was attempting a rescue on a kidnapping, and he may have some answers for us," Naoto responded, "I just want to ask him while his memory is fresh." Naoto, it seems, didn't want to lie too much.

"Okay…," the nurse said, "Just try and hurry up. There are others here too that need rest."

"Thank you…," Naoto nodded as she started walking down the hallway. It was a familiar walk for Shirogane as she made her towards Rion's room. Naoto didn't even like hospitals herself. It reminded Naoto of her parents when they died. Ward A was quiet and Naoto had to calm herself for what she was going to say. "I'm not sure if I know where to start," She was thinking. Internally, she was a bit of a wreck. She didn't really know how well he was doing because it seemed like the others were gone. She hadn't bothered to contact them.

As she got to the room before Rion's, she was broken out of her thought process by a proclamation, "Shirogane!?" a voice said in confusion.

The door was open. Naoto cursed herself. She knew this ward was where Dojima-san was being taken care of. "Dammit! He probably already knew, but I didn't want him to see this," Naoto was visibly upset, but she put on a stoic face as she made a side trip to talk to Dojima.

"Good evening, Dojima-san. I was not aware you were still awake," she greeted him, "How are you feeling?"

"Yes…," Dojima responded, "Well… I'm feeling a little better." Naoto saw Dojima looking at her, "I wasn't aware you were taken to wearing that kind of…"

Naoto quickly replied she turned red, "I'm not… This is not my normal attire!"

Dojima let out a small chuckle, trying to mask out the small pain that it caused, "I understand Shirogane."

"But…," Naoto started stuttering as she was still red.

"I already know," Dojima replied.

"Did Souji-senpai tell you?" Naoto asked.

"No, your grandfather explained a little while back. He told me not to judge you on who you are in the outside," Dojima answered.

Naoto's mood darkened at this, so Dojima continued, "When I first heard of a young person such as you helping us, I was very skeptical of you. As time went on, your diligence with the case went beyond anyone… it made me second-guess my own efforts. You made easy friends with my nephew, which with your nature… I thought that would be difficult due to your nature, no offense. Yet, with all that, I see you as great a detective no matter who you are."

Naoto's mood lightened a little and the smallest of a blush formed, "Thank you."

Dojima's face turned and asked inquisitively, "Now… if I may ask… Why are you wearing that?" gesturing to her clothes.

Naoto blushed again, "My friend was just admitted to the hospital trying to save Nanako-chan." She looked at her feet, "I came to talk to him."

Dojima-san didn't laugh like Naoto expected him too, "It's Ishinata, isn't it?"

"How'd you know, Dojima-san?" Naoto asked incredulously.

"I'm a detective," Dojima responded, "He was the only one not at the accident site. I guess he was already looking for Nanako by then."

"Yeah…," Naoto looked down at her feet, "But…"

Dojima chuckled, "It also helped that my cousin was talking about him as they were walking towards his room."

"Oh…," Naoto said, "I didn't realize they had already visited him."

"They were probably just making sure he was okay," Dojima told her, "But you should go see him. You should keep dressing like that Shirogane. People can realize who you really are. Plus, I'm sure Rion will really like seeing it," Dojima almost smiled.

Naoto blushed, "I… I'll keep that in mind." Naoto knew that during all of this talk, Dojima was trying to keep up a strong face. He missed Nanako greatly. She told him as she went to leave, "You need your rest… Don't worry, we'll find her soon."

Naoto took a deep breath as she walked from Dojima's room into Rion's. Rion was asleep as she entered, and she walked up to the left side of his bed. She glanced at the IV sticking out of his arm and grimaced. She felt a pang of sorrow for the foolish boy who when she thought about it, was kind of stupid. She put her hand on his forehead; it was warm to the touch. She shook her head, she meant to see if he was awake and talk to him, but it seemed like it all for naught. "Oh well," she thought.

She removed her hand and spoke softly, "Rion… I know you meant well. You entered the TV by yourself so maybe… maybe we wouldn't have to. You confessed your love to me. I forgive you. And I… and I love you too, Rion-san… no, Rion-kun."

As Naoto started to back away from Rion, she heard a voice coming from the young man. "Is this the moment where I'm supposed to sweep you off your feet and carry you away into the sunset? Well, I can't really do that at the moment," Rion's eyes opened as he said these words.

Naoto's eyes widened in surprise, "Have you been awake this whole time?" She asked.

Rion chuckled softly, "The million-dollar question is… Would you have still said all of that if you knew I was awake?" He looked at her inquisitively with a raised eyebrow from the hospital bed.

Naoto blushed red, "Of course I would." She suddenly walked back towards Rion's bed and tapped him lightly on the head.

"Hey!" Rion said in faux anger, "That hurt." Rion was smiling.

"I get one free hit, remember?" Naoto said with a smile.

"A hit that was a lot softer than the first time, if I remember right," Rion joked, "I'm in the hospital, you know."

Naoto looked at him seriously, "I had a good reason to hit you, remember? Something about trying to reveal my identity to the group during a game of chopstick dares."

"Sure you did. If I remember right, a good number of them were drunk anyways," Rion said sarcastically. He ruffled Naoto's blue hair; "I like the clothes by the way," taking in the look of her in her school clothes, "Why did you decide to wear them? You certainly didn't have those on while we were in the TV."

Naoto put on a faux air of anger, "You were checking me out while those things were trying to kill me!?" She started to blush again, "I'm wearing them… because you like it when I wear them."

Rion's face softened, "Of course I like it when you wear those clothes. But… I also like you no matter what you wear."

Naoto continued to blush, but instead of answering the question and finishing the conversation like Rion hoped, Naoto still looked serious and almost sad.

"What is it, Naoto?" Rion asked.

"Rion… did you really mean it? When you told the Shadow that you loved me," Naoto questioned him. She was actually close to tears.

Rion's face had hardened back to its harsh exterior, "Naoto… If I had lied to the Shadow about that… If I had said that I loved you as a lie, it would have transformed. If that had happened, you wouldn't be visiting me in a hospital… You'd be visiting me in a morgue. I didn't face any actual transformed Shadows when I fought. I did not want to see what it would like transformed."

A tear rolled down Naoto's face, "I don't doubt that, but you said you love Rise too. It's just hard imagining that… I can't think of evaluating myself with her."

Rion shook his head, "It was the most painful thing in the world to admit I loved both of you. But, as easy as it was to say that I loved you, I wasn't sure yet on whom I love the most… The idea of making a decision is tearing me apart. With that said, it's not about comparing one to another. You are each yourselves, and even that is driving me insane."

Naoto wiped a tear, "A few hours ago, I couldn't fathom not being by your side after seeing you hurt. After you kissed me, after you said you loved me, there was nothing more than I wanted than for me to be there for you. I guess I can appreciate the fact if you would rather be with Rise, but even knowing that you love me means more than anything."

"Naoto…," Rion whispered.

"Thank you for making me who I am… My Shadow told me to understand and embrace that I am a girl. But you were the one to not just make me a woman, but also the one to be able make me act like one." Before Naoto started to walk away, she brushed her lips across Rion's left cheek. She whispered softly, "I love you."

As Naoto walked away from the room and the ward; then out of the hospital, she started to sob. She never could understand why she would turn into a blubbering idiot with no common sense in front of this boy. Yet, she didn't really care as long as they solved this case.

Rion sighed. "This sucks. In battle, decision-making is easy for me. But, no… this is a pain in the ass," he told himself. He closed his eyes, "Maybe, I can find some peace and figure this out. I can only dream of doing that."

Souji knew that the group needed to take a day off from searching for Nanako. They were really close already, but no matter how much he wanted to save her right away, the stress they underwent yesterday forced a day off for the group.

Souji took a deep breath and headed off to class after walking down the Samegawa. He had no real plans at the end of school today. He felt like sleeping through class. Yukiko made him stay awake during school, and he walked her to the bus at the Shopping District.

"So… we're saving Nanako after school tomorrow?" she asked Souji before she boarded the bus.

Souji nodded, "Yes. Prepare to go into the TV tomorrow."

"I'll call Chie then and let her know," Yukiko said.

"Right…," Souji responded.

The evening was another spent alone for Souji. It was lonely in there, all alone. "Hopefully not for long," he thought as he made dinner for himself from food he got a few days ago at Junes. He was the only real cook in the family after all. The teriyaki sauce covering the steak did smell good after all. He contemplated their battle plan while watching TV. He wasn't sure how, but he knew Namatame was as good as screwed when they found him. "I've got first shot at him once we save Nanako," Souji thought, "No, wait… Dojima does. Hell, we all get a shot at him."

Souji headed to bed knowing that they were saving Nanako tomorrow, no matter what. The school day was a breeze for the entire group, besides Rion, as they headed into the TV as soon as the bell rang. They met at Junes and immediately came to the lobby of the TV world. One person was late coming, and that was Rise.

"Sorry I'm late, are we ready, Senpai?" Rise asked Souji. She seemed a little relieved, yet sad.

"Yeah, let's go save Nanako," Souji answered.

"Alright, here we come, Nanako-chan!" Yosuke exclaimed.

The group went back to the "Heaven", the 8th area that they started exploring. Like before, the Shadows were varied, and caused a lot of pain and suffering as the team began their venture.

"Okay… Souji, I'm sure we'll find here in no time… What the hell is that?" Chie yelled as a knight on horseback Shadow charged the group.

Chie rolled away, while Souji stood his ground, "Tam Lin! Ziodyne!" The knight fell over.

Let's kill it," Souji shrugged his shoulders. The group charged it with weapons outstretched and soon kunai, chairs, and bullets littered its body.

The other Shadows weren't as simple. There was a samurai Shadow that kept dodging weapons attacks by Suzuka Gongen and Rokuten Maoh of Chie and Kanji respectively.

Souji tried attacking the samurai with his sword and ended up on his ass. It also reflected or absorbed all major elements.

"Tch," Naoto muttered, "All Yours! Yamato Takeru!" "Mudoon!" The Shadow disappeared.

They stumbled onto a minotaur Shadow in the 8th floor.

"Rise, are there any weaknesses?" Souji asked.

She seemed a little distracted, "Umm… no! Just hit with anything."

So, all of them just whacked it with anything and everything. It worked out pretty well.

There was this weird rocking chair Shadow with a weird looking creature on it on the corner of the 8th floor.

Yosuke struck at it and it did a little damage as it retaliated by slamming into it.

"You're mine!" Naoto said, "Mamudoon!" The black light that dissolved the Shadows made Souji happy.

There was another dancer Shadow with a sword and a heart-shaped head. "The exact kind Rion loves to dissect with his sword," Souji thought.

Nobody dueled with it, however. Without Rion, they used magic.

"Tam Lin!" "Ziodyne!" as Souji took one down with a thunder blast.

"Amaterasu!" "Agidyne!" Yukiko's flames massacred another.

"Kintoki-Douji!" "Bufudyne!" Teddie froze the rest, so Chie could use "Heat Wave to shatter them.

There was a Shadow that was basically a large arm with a large sword. All it did was slash enemies with the sword either one at a time, or all of them at the same time. It was still annoying. Yosuke's "Magarula" with Susano-O blew the swords into another prefecture.

They escaped a certain Shadow until the 9th floor. Sure, they encountered the same ones on this floor as well, but on the 9th they found a new enemy that "Really sucked," according to Yosuke.

It was a tank-like Shadow that reflected all physical attacks.

It was nice that they were weak to ice skills and light abilities so Naoto and Teddie got a workout. But, the problem was that they kept coming. They kept shooting at them though, and it was draining on the group.

They started running away from them, only to run into the samurai Shadows, or the knight Shadows. It was a pain in the ass for Souji, who had to summon Tam Lin and shoot "Ziodyne!" into the knights. The eight of them hurried up the steep stairs as soon as they found them and reached a large doorway.

Rise scanned ahead and exclaimed, "I feel Nanako behind this door!"

"Then what are we waiting for!?" Kanji asked.

"Alright…," Souji said calmly, "Let's go." On the inside, he was more excited than anyone to reach her, and they were so close.

They ran across a narrow bridge to see Namatame holding Nanako by the waist. He was still wearing his delivery service uniform, and seemed very determined. At the end of the passage was a circular platform with angels surrounding the platform.

Nanako yelled out to Souji, "B… Big Bro!"

"You son of a bitch!" Souji yelled.

"You mustn't go!" Namatame exclaimed at Nanako.

"Let go of Nanako, you psycho!" Souji yelled. The leader was in the front of everyone else, standing in the middle of the gold-brown steps.

"I'm going to save this girl…" Namatame told them.

Naoto explained, "Taro Namatame… It's definitely him! Then he did come in here…"

"So you're the killer," Yosuke said to Namatame. Yosuke was flanking Souji, ready to pounce on their killer.

"Let go of her!" Yukiko demanded of Namatame. She was standing besides Naoto on the brown steps.

Namatame started to laugh, "Ah… Haha, you're the ones I saved." He told them, "Don't worry… I'll save this girl too."

Kanji was confused, "Huh? This dude high or something? Quit talking shit and let go of the girl!" Kanji advanced a few steps menacingly.

Namatame tightened his grip on Nanako, "D… Don't come near me!" Souji was so pissed right now.

Nanako struggled and said in pain, "Nngh…"

Chie exclaimed from her position in the back, "Nanako-chan!"

Naoto tried to regain the control of the situation. She tried to calm down the hot-headed sewer, "Calm down Kanji-kun! We can't predict his behavior! We have to keep him talking. If we can discern his intentions, perhaps we can somehow deal with him." She asked Souji, "What should we ask?"

"Dammit…," Souji thought, "Nanako is in danger… What should I say?" He took a deep breath and asked, "Why are you doing this? Why did you take Nanako-chan?"

Namatame released his pressure a little on Nanako and answered, "To save them…"

Souji took another deep breath and asked, "What the hell is the Midnight Channel?"

"People needing to be saved appear…," Namatame replied, "That's why I put them into the TV."

Souji had enough of this crap and demanded of Namatame, "Let go of Nanako you bastard!"

Naoto hissed, "No, we must pull his attention away from Nanako-chan!" She took over the questioning at that point, "You put the people you saw on the Midnight Channel into this world. Am I correct?"

"They all… want to be saved," Namatame answered.

Rise asked angrily, "Did I ever ask you to save me!?"

Kanji responded, "And you didn't save us, dammit! It was the complete opposite!"

Namatame droned on, "If I hadn't put you into the TV… how would you have ended up?"

"How would we…?" Yukiko started thinking as she was saying.

Rise finished, "Are you trying to say… we wouldn't have been able to face ourselves?"

Yukiko was mad, "What…!? But we nearly died!

Namatame responded, "Yes… Exactly…"

Yosuke asked directly, "You kidnapped them… Yes or no?"

Namatame answered straightly, "Yes…"

Naoto asked the deliveryman, "Why did you target local residents who suddenly became known through the media? Why do these people appear on the Midnight Channel?"

"On rainy nights… on TV… they signal me… to save them," Namatame responded.

Souji looked at him, "Your ideal of saving people… is that ideal intertwined with murdering people?" He had to take the place of Rion…

Namatame looked confused, "Murder…? No, I'm saving them."

Yosuke yelled, "How's that different, huh? All you're doing is killing people!"

Namatame started chuckling, "Haha… If you want to think that, go ahead. I know… you chased us all the way here… to kill…" Namatame started losing his sanity, "Ha… Haha… Well, too bad… I'm… gonna to save her…"

"Ngh…," Nanako was suffering.

"Bastard!" Souji directed his anger towards Namatame.

"You asshole! You aren't going to get away with this!" Kanji yelled.

Namatame's calm and monotone nature suddenly shifted to a nasty and angry tone as he yelled, "Shut the hell up!"

Purple flames started forming around Namatame. Souji mentally cursed on the inside, "Oh shit… he's started to turn into a Shadow." Yellow irises now clouded Namatame's soul.

"_What a wonderful world…,"_ Namatame started to say, _"An unknown, unreachable place… filled with pleasant fog… I'm a Savior."_ He seemed full of himself. He had a condescending voice, _"It's filthy over there… So many evildoers…"_ His voice raised in anger, _"That's why I'm going to save them! I'm a savior! A righteous hero…"_

"Is that a Shadow?" Yukiko asked.

Nanako was struggling to get out of the Shadow's grasp. She was in real pain now and coughing, "Big bro… I can't… breathe…"

Teddie, who had been silent up to this point called out to Nanako, "Nana-chan!"

"Let's do this, guys!" Souji nodded to Kanji and Yosuke.

"Yeah…," Yosuke answered as Kanji emitted a war cry.

Kanji and Yosuke rushed Namatame and knocked Nanako out of his grasp. Naoto yelled at Souji, "Now, Senpai!"

Souji ran up to Nanako and took her in his arms, "I got you", he said, "You're safe now."

The rest of the group ran up beside of Souji to check on Nanako.

"Nana-chan!" Teddie said in worry.

"Nanako-chan… Nanako-chan!" Yukiko tried to get a response out of Souji's cousin.

Chie yelled at Namatame, "Bastard…! How dare you?!"

Namatame's voice was a mixture of a growl and pure anger as black flames formed around him as he demanded, "_Give… her back… I'm... I'm going… to save herrrrrrrr!"_

Namatame's Shadow began to truly transform. Namatame started to lift in the air and Shadows started to fly into him as he convulsed. The group started to back away in the amount of power the Shadows were emitting by entering Namatame. It reminded Souji of Rion's Shadow. Kanji stepped back and Naoto had to hold on to her hat as she asked, "What's happening to him!?"

More and more Shadows entered Namatame's body as he was lifted higher and higher into the air. Teddie was worried, "If we don't do something, this could be bad!" he exclaimed as he looked around, "His powers are attracting more and more Shadows to him!"

As the Shadows kept flying into his body, Chie asked worriedly as Souji held Nanako, "You guys got any suggestions?"

Rise was standing behind Yosuke and looked a little scared. She said nervously, "Look at him… He's merging with the Shadows!"

The transformation of Namatame's Shadow was complete, and it was unlike any they had seen before. The Shadow itself was something like a shrunken brown prune, but with a human form. It was clothed in a white robe. Multiple red rings were surrounding the top of his head and were circulating his body. He held his arms out and made peace signs with his fingers. Souji was in awe of this Shadow, "What the hell is that?"

The others seemed to share the same sentiment as Yukiko also asked, "What is that?" and Chie emitted, "Woah!" as the Shadow descended Teddie freaked, "Ahhh…" Yosuke wasn't amused by the Shadow descended, "Damn it! We've come this far, we are not losing now!"

Souji yelled as he grasped his sword, "Do you think we are going to run away? Hell no!"

And so the battle began with Namatame's hippy Shadow.

Namatame's Shadow yelled at the others, _"I… I'm going to save her...! Don't interfere!"_

"If I want to interfere, I will god damn it!" Souji yelled, while yelling, "Tam Lin!" His fairy knight appearing to attack the hippy, lance raised. "Let's zap his ass!" Souji's Persona held his lance above his head and fired "Ziodyne!" at the hippy.

It woke up the Shadow, that's for sure.

"Susano-O!" "Masukukaja!" Yosuke yelled to speed up the team.

"Kintoki-Douji!" "Marakukaja!" Teddie boosted the defense.

The group barely had time after the spells were cast to jump out of the way as "Magarudyne!" was cast by Namatame's Shadow. As soon as Yukiko finished casting "Agidyne!" with Amaterasu, Namatame countered with "Mabufudyne!". Chie and Teddie came away unscathed, but Yukiko had to be shoved violently away from the ice by Souji.

"Damn…" Souji muttered, shaking off the ice that had formed on his arm. Chie and Kanji had their physical attacks at the ready, and at least every element could be used as a –dyne skill.

Souji reminded himself that they had Naoto with "Megidola!" at the ready, which she used with her "Mind Charge!" repeatedly.

Unfortunately, Namatame could exploit the weaknesses of Teddie and Yukiko and multi-hit everyone at once. Souji and Yosuke charged at the Shadow with sword and kunai as Suzuka Gongen dove in and made a hard impact with "Black Spot!"

This kind of turned into a cycle of endless attacking. Kanji would use Rokuten Maoh for "Mighty Swing!" or attack with a chair. Naoto would use up a large amount of her energy with "Mind Charge!" to "Megidola!" It worked, but it left her drained. The others used the elemental skills on Namatame to draw its attention away from Yukiko and Teddie. Namatame would sometimes fire single "Bufudyne!" or "Ziodyne!" skills to cause serious frostbite, or fry either. Namatame wasted no time following up with the multi-dyne skills. Still, with careful planning, a lot of dodging, and the use of "Marakukaja!", and "Masukukaja!" they were able to make headway.

Unfortunately, all their careful plans suddenly changed as Namatame's attack strategy suddenly changed.

"_Save her… I'm going to save her!"_ The Shadow yelled.

He used an attack called "Quad Coverage!" which made all but one element worthless when attacking. Of course, he used that one element to blast the group into oblivion. This particular time, it was ice skills, or Bufu. Teddie or in a lesser account Chie were the only effective people who could use magic to damage the Shadow, but Teddie was spending a lot time healing everyone but Chie from the repeated "Mabufudyne!" and "Bufudyne!" attacks. Yukiko was the most affected, and was immobilized from the cold. As soon as he stopped freezing people, and Teddie had healed her, Souji returned with a volley of "Ziodyne!" and Naoto used "Megidola!". It did a little damage on the Shadow until the rings on Namatame's head spun again and Souji felt himself thrown into the air and into Teddie.

"Dammit!" Souji yelled, picking himself off the ground, "Yosuke, attack him with wind!"

"Wind attacks are more effective! Listen to him Yosuke!" Rise agreed with Souji from a safe distance from the battle. She wasn't going to be involved. She was the one taking care of Nanako.

Yosuke took their advice and countered Namatame's "Garudyne!" and "Magarudyne!" with his own "Garudyne!" This pattern continued like this for a while, with Yukiko and Teddie healing the wounded. It only changed when electricity or ice was involved, in that case one was healing and the other was praying in a corner. It was really pissing Souji off that the amount of damage they were doing was so minimal.

Finally, after a while of going through this cycle Namatame's Shadow suddenly made another statement, _"Don't… Don't get in my way!" _

"Oh shit…," Kanji muttered as the Shadow went up to Yosuke and whispered into his ear. Yosuke came up to his side. He proceeded to attack Kanji with his kunai.

"What the hell is going on here!? Get off me, dammit!" Kanji yelled trying to dodge the flailing blades. Chie jumped in front of Kanji to block the kunai by pushing Yosuke's arms to the side. Chie fighting him off seemed to knock some sense in him as she kicked him in the nads.

"Damn! That hurt Chie!" as Yosuke shook his head and regained control.

"It woke you up, didn't it!?' Chie yelled back.

"Shut up you two!" Souji intervened, because the rings on "Kunino-sagiri" had spun again and was casting "Bufudyne!" all over the place trying to hit Yukiko with it.

Souji stood in front of Yukiko and cast "Ziodyne!" with Tam Lin. It stopped the Shadow in its tracks. It helped that Chie was kicking the Shadow and Naoto was shooting it.

All of this seemed to annoy Namatame's Shadow even more, _"I… I…"_

He went up to all of the party members except Naoto who was standing behind Souji and began whispering in their ears. They all came over to his side.

Rise gave encouragement to Souji, "Don't give up now!"

"What are we going to do?" Naoto asked as Chie and Kanji glared menacingly at her.

"We'll survive," Souji said as he raised his sword. "Persona!"

Tam Lin came forward to attack with his spear, but was interrupted by Yukiko's fan. Naoto fared no better as anytime she tried to use her Persona, she was stopped by Yosuke, Chie, or Kanji.

"Guys… come on," Naoto pleaded. She was flustered enough to nearly pull her gun on them.

Kanji advanced towards her with blank eyes. Rokuten Maoh was under the Shadow's control too, and it was about to attack, "Ziodyne!" As she braced for the boy who had a crush on her to strike her down with magic, she felt another person pull her away from the lightning and rolled her to the ground as they landed in a precarious position. She gazed into the person's eyes, and blushed as she saw a familiar face; a person that wasn't supposed to be here, but just the person she'd needed to see at that moment.

"Rion! What the hell are you doing here!?" she pretty much yelled.

"Well, your welcome…," Rion rolled his eyes, "It looked like you needed my help."

"Yeah… what are you doing here?" Souji asked, dodging Yukiko's fan as it whizzed by.

"You didn't really expect me to stay in the hospital? But if you have to know… ask her," Rion pointed towards Rise who looked confused.

---

Flashback to earlier,

Rion had his hospital bed raised so far forward that he might as well have been sitting up. He was bored, and he knew that the group was going to save Nanako. He brushed the bangs of hair out to the side and sighed. He was alone.

So when Rise arrived as he had hoped someone would, he was secretly ecstatic. Not to mention the emotions on the other side of the group.

"Rion-kun!" Rise exclaimed loudly as she ran from the doorway to his bedside and enveloped him in a hug, "How are you!?"

"Well… I was fine… Now I think I'm suffocating," Rion said with a smile as he gently placed his arms around her.

Rise loosened her grip slightly before releasing the hug, "I'm sorry, but everyone's been so worried. Well… only Souji and Yosuke knew how you were doing."

"I'm doing fine now," Rion smiled as he answered her earlier questions, "If I could, I'd come with you guys. But… the doctors and nurses here would kill me."

Rise looked down at her feet, "You know… it's not the same without you." Her eyes slowly came up to meet his eyes, "It's like we're missing something."

Rion took a deep breath and said, "I guess it's just one of those things were everyone is a piece of the puzzle."

"Yeah…," Rise nodded, "Oh…" She suddenly took a pair of glasses out from a container and said to Rion, "I got these from your place. Your room is so neat and tidy. I wish I could keep mine so clean."

"Thanks," Rion took the glasses from her, "It's difficult to find the courage to clean it every week. It gets to be a disaster." He looked with askance, "I'm guessing you couldn't bring the "other stuff" in."

"Yeah," Rise nodded, "I looked at it, and I left it in a storage locker right outside the hospital." She looked at him sideways this time, "Why do you need weapons now? You aren't going anywhere, are you?"

"Just a hunch," Rion shrugged.

"Okay…," Rise accepted his odd answer. Rise took a deep breath and closed her eyes before confronting Rion, "I want you to accept Naoto-kun, Rion"

"What?" Rion was confused.

"Naoto, she came to you on the night you were hurt, right?" Rise started slowly and softly, "She needs you."

Rion hunched his shoulders and lay back, "Is this about my decision-making skills, because if it is I'm still… I hate making them. I just… I just need some time." Rion shook his head.

Rise stared straight at Rion, "Rion... You don't know how hard it is to say this. You don't know how hard I'd want you to stay with me, but I would rather you be with Naoto-kun."

Rion sighed, "Do you have a particular reasoning behind this Rise-chan?"

"Senpai… She… You are the first person she has ever fallen for, and this isn't some innocent crush. She really is in love with you," Rise explained to Rion. Every word she said hurt inside her heart as she continued, "I… I can move on. I know how much I love you, but Naoto… I don't know what… or how long it would take for Naoto until she could move on. I don't know, you were the one who made her who she is, she could even revert to her old self if you don't..."

"I see…," Rion said thoughtfully. In truth he was a mess, as usual, when it came to love. Social problems, he was good with. If it was dealing with other peoples' relationship problems, he could do okay, but not his own. "This sucks," Rion thought.

"I guess… I'll have to think over what you said Rise-chan," Rion as he hung his head.

"Please do… Find true happiness with Naoto-kun. I just hope I can love again like I was when I was around you," Rise said with a smile, a tear falling down her cheek.

As she was about to turn to leave…

"Wait…," Rion said, as Rise stopped… Rion brushed off the tear from her cheek, "You will…"

It made Rise want to cry that much more.

---

"Are you going to get off of me!?" Naoto exclaimed.

"Do you want me to, or should I stay here?" Rion said with a smile.

Naoto blushed, "We're in the middle of a fight, you idiot, and if you didn't notice… our own friends are trying to kill us!"

"Just shut up and move!" Souji commanded. Namatame's Shadow had decided that fire was fun to play with and was shooting it all over the place. Souji ran to his left to dodge an oncoming "Agidyne!" and pulled out a card, which he promptly slashed, "White Rider!" "Let me return the favor!" "Agidyne!"

Rion had promptly moved off of Naoto and pulled out his card and reached for the small blade in his sleeve, "Rise and Resurrect… Ameno-waka-hiko!"

The silver knight appeared at Rion's side and then flew to join the horseman of the apocalypse in battle.

Soon after, Yamato Takeru joined the other two and Naoto readied her gun.

Rion interrupted them, "I'll deal with the group. You worry about Namatame. My Persona will help you. Just don't use him too much, or you'll end up killing me in mid-fight. He uses up a lot of my strength."

Souji nodded, "Just don't hurt our friends… too much."

Rion nodded and threw his new walking stick off to the side and started running off to the left side of the circular field, motioning to the possessed others, trying to get them to follow. The group blankly looked at the Shadow for a second before running after Rion, maybe sensing that he was the weakest, or that he was the easiest kill.

Soon, they were all standing in front of him, and Rion couldn't be happier to have most of his friends in front of him for battle. He grinned at the sight of them bearing his weapons towards him as he pulled out his fingerless gloves,

"I've been waiting for this," as Rion smirked at them.

As soon as he shifted the right side of his body behind him to shift the weight from his left leg, albeit a little painfully, due to the injuries suffered only a few days earlier; he was attacked by Yosuke. The right kunai sliced towards him only to be met by Rion's right hand, and as Yosuke thrust the left blade at him in the struggle; Rion grabbed his wrist and flipped him over. Without a moment of respite, Rion felt that a leg was flying towards his head. He back flipped and as another kick came from Chie, he pushed her back with a parry from his right forearm. But, he was surprised to see her stretching and rushing towards him for a powerful straight kick. Unfortunately for her, she was the one surprised when he caught her foot in mid-kick and threw her to the side. As soon as Chie stopped sliding on the ground; Rion turned his head and caught Yukiko's fan, spun around, and shot it straight back at her.

Rion rolled his eyes as Yukiko fell back. He shifted his right leg behind him as Teddie's claw tried to cut through him. As the bear lay off-balance, Rion just pushed him over.

Before he could rest, he had to flip back again as a large explosion came from where he was. The cause…? A shield landing at high speed into the ground with the weight of a punk high school student from, well Rion didn't know how he got so high into the air. Rion chuckled though, the missed strike caused the scudetto to get stuck into the ground, and when Kanji tried to pull it out; Rion launched his good foot into his chest. The resulting hit had knocked him back away from his weapon.

"See… that wasn't so bad, now was it?" Rion chuckled, looking at all of the others, who were slowly shaking their heads.

"What the hell happened?" Yosuke asked.

"You were trying to kill us," Rion said, "Again..."

Rion's explanation was cut off as he heard a yell near Namatame's Shadow, "Look out!" It was from Souji.

Rion turned just long enough to see Naoto pointing her gun at him and fire… right into his shoulder.

"Damn it!" Rion yelled, clutching his shoulder, "Naoto! You know I hate getting shot by things!"

Naoto shook her head breaking her control away from Namatame, "I was trying to kill you!?"

Rion yelled again, "Do you see the gunshot wound!? Yes!"

"Sorry…," Naoto looked abashed.

"We're still fighting here!" Souji struck at the Shadow with his sword, who countered with the Shadow's neat new attack, okay so it wasn't so neat, Souji thought. "Unerring Justice!" The damn Shadow would fly up and basically send holy light at them, "No way could this Shadow be holy," Souji thought.

"Rion! Hurry up and control your Persona again!" Souji said, "He's too damn fast to give orders to!"

---

The whole fight while Rion was taking care of the possessed members of the team was a mess. Naoto was constantly shooting at the Shadow while yelling at her Persona to use "Mind Charge!" then "Megidola!" That wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Unfortunately, she got tired soon, and that's why she was possessed. Once the fire advantage had worn off, Souji had switched back to Tam Lin and was abusing "Ziodyne!" But, controlling Rion's Persona… Souji had no idea what the hell to do with that thing. Ameno-waka… or whatever the hell it was. So, it started shooting swords or shit at Namatame randomly, which was okay, and then Souji remembered it could do cool shit like "Heat Riser!" That Souji used on himself. Souji found the hard way that it seemed that Rion and the Persona had a very defined rhythm and Souji slowed him down, so Namatame knocked him over with "Bufudyne". "Shit… he's still weak against ice!?"

It was then they started using "Unerring Justice!"

---

"I just got shot…," Rion muttered, "Fine, whatever… Let's just finish this damn thing off before I get shot again," "Ameno-waka-hiko!" "Debilitate!" as Rion's small blade pierced the card placed over his heart. He ran towards Souji as he drew one of his ninjato with his right arm. "Let's finish this bastard! Let's do this together!"

Souji nodded, "Alright! About time!" Souji charged the Shadow with his two-handed sword drawn and cut his card overhead. "Tam Lin!" He was getting tired of summoning it over and over because of being knocked around anyways, and wanted this battle over.

"Hassou Tobi!" "Deathbound!" Souji and Rion yelled together.

Souji watched as Tam Lin strike multiple times with his spear and Ameno-waka-hiko riddle the Shadow with arrows. Souji could only smile in relief after the barrage made Namatame's Shadow drop to the ground in purple flames and dissipate.

Namatame returned to his original form as he hit the ground, hard. He struggled to his feet, "D… Dammit… Why!?" Namatame said in frustration at his failure. He fell over again.

"It's because you were stupid enough to kidnap my cousin, dumbass!" Souji explained.

"N… Nanako-chan!" Rise yelled out in worry, drawing Souji's attention back to his cousin. He ran away from the collapsed bastard, and back to Nanako.

Rise was holding Nanako in her arms, "She looks like she's in pain… but she doesn't seem to be injured anywhere."

"This place must not be good for her!" Teddie explained, "We need to carry her out, quick!"

Souji took Nanako from Rise and started carrying her as fast as he could out of the white "paradise".

As they started to follow Souji, Naoto gestured towards Namatame and said to Kanji and Rion, "We should take him with as well."

"As much as I want to leave him here, we can't," Kanji said.

Rion reattached the end of his staff and with Kanji threw Namatame over their shoulders.

They were finally finished with this place, but it wasn't a happy feeling as they left.

* * *

(Okay… we had one huge 1 v 5 Shadow or whatever. Don't worry; Souji will get his shot with a 1 v 1 too in the novella. This is the last where Rion is over controlling in the main story. If you think Rion's Persona is too strong, he almost never uses it because it uses up that much wear and tear on his body.)


	22. Chapter 22

RepresentationofP4Ch.22

Atlus owns SMT and Persona.

Warning… Depressing chapter coming up. I really hope the last chapter did not drive you away. There's a lot of little conversations leading up to the story, but I wanted to give you a little to read before you read the sad stuff.

* * *

As they made their way out of the TV with the young girl, and that terrible bastard; the mood was very dark. Souji did not even bother cleaning the cut on his back, and the only reason he was not bleeding all over the place was because of Yukiko worrying about him.

Rion and Kanji were all but ready to throw Namatame on the floor of Junes when they got out. But, the floor was currently home to a very worried Yukiko, and a distressed Souji. Souji was holding his little sis in his arms, who was not moving. Rise and Chie were watching from the side and Naoto was making a call for the paramedics to come.

"Nanako-chan… Hang in there…," Yukiko said worriedly.

"….," Nanako struggled to get out words.

"What are we going to do?" Chie asked. She was at a loss. Everyone was, it seemed. All she could do was wrap up the burn on her forearm from the repeated lightning attacks.

Kanji said, "She's so small, and she was stuck in there for so long… And then there was that weird fog… Dammit!"

Rion shook his head, "She must have ingested the highly concentrated fog, and the purple fog that came out of the Shadow self." He gestured at Namatame with his head.

Naoto hung up from her cell phone and told the group, "The police and the paramedics will be here shortly."

"That's good," Souji said lifelessly, as the others nodded in agreement. "Come on Nanako, you can do it," Souji thought, "Why did this happen?" He wanted to cry. Souji did not cry, but this was his family. First, his uncle got hurt, and now his cousin. He's tired of seeing his friends get hurt.

Souji helped the paramedics place Nanako into the ambulance and Rion lock Namatame into the other one with the police. The paramedics about placed Rion back in one after seeing all of the blood dripping down from his shoulder after the gunshot wound that was crudely healed, but the look Rion gave them drove them away. Souji needed emotional support, and everyone was going to stay around him.

The sirens of the ambulance could be heard going away as they made their slow trek towards the hospital. Souji just walked slowly with Yukiko all the way to the bus station. When they got on the bus, Souji allowed Yukiko to put her head on his shoulder, and Souji's head rested against hers.

When they reached the hospital, Nanako was rushed straight to the ICU. Namatame was rushed somewhere else. Sadly, no one could see Nanako because they were not allowing visitors in the ward.

Souji was standing farthest away with Teddie across from him. Yukiko was standing next to him, but was now sitting between a standing Yosuke and Chie. Rise was sitting down, next to a standing Naoto, but standing in front of her was a Rion with his eyes closed. His walking stick was on his shoulder, not on the ground. Kanji was standing near a receptacle, across from those who were sitting.

Rion sighed right before Teddie said, "Nana-chan's small… so her other self didn't appear like everyone else's. And she got caught in all that craziness. I hope she'll be okay." Teddie sounded really down.

Yosuke asked worriedly, "I mean, are the doctors going to be able to help her?"

Souji thought, "How often do you suffer from purple smoke ingestion? I think we all have, but not little sis."

Teddie started crying, "Waaah… I'm worried about Nana-chan."

"We all are, Teddie," Souji consoled him.

Chie said sadly, "But there's nothing more we can do for her." She looked at Yosuke for support. He tried to support her with a smile, but couldn't manage one.

Naoto sighed, "A deliveryman named Namatame… The possibility of Nanako-chan being targeted." She looked depressed, "If only I'd been more thorough in my investigation. Then Nanako-chan wouldn't have had to go through with this." Rion interlaced his fingers with hers. She took them readily.

"That… goes for me too," Yosuke said sadly. He regretted not being able to solve the case faster, "If I hadn't stood there like a lump in front of that bastard, Nanako-chan might've been okay."

Chie was near tears, "I hate myself… Why do I always panic when it matters most?"

"I couldn't do anything either," Yukiko put her head down as she muttered.

Rise said, "I should have noticed sooner that something was wrong with that guy." She put her head down in shame.

"Why did I waste time listening to what Namatame had to say?" Naoto nearly sobbed, "If I hadn't tried to engage him in conversation and we'd rescued Nanako-chan immediately!" She cried out, "This wouldn't have happened!" Rion grasped her hand harder in reassurance.

"It's no one's fault," Souji explained, "There's nothing more we could have done for her." He thought, "We could have beaten him faster, but that was my fault."

"But… I still…," Naoto was still trying to say, "Could have…"

Rion looked at her reassuringly, "If it was your fault, we would have said so." Rion shook his head, "If we are going to play a pointless blame game, we might as well say it's my fault for not catching Namatame before he threw her in the TV. It's not time to worry about such things." He rolled his eyes. Souji looked at him in relief. Rion was trying to unite the group.

It seems someone else had the same idea as Kanji walked up to the others after standing by the wall and sighed, "Alright, enough of this pity party. Is standing around and whining really what we oughtta be doing right now? Feeling pathetic, consoling each other… That gonna solve anything?" He all but about yelled, "We got to believe in her! So, get it together Naoto!"

"Sorry… You're right," Naoto put her head down. She looked even more ashamed.

Rion asked, "When did I say I didn't believe in her?" He shook his head and pushed up his glasses, "I think you made her worse, Kanji."

Kanji shook his head at Rion's statement and said, "This is all that bastard Namatame's fault, and he's behind bars, right? And it ain't like we were too late for Nanako-chan."

Rion shook his head. "Behind bars… Namatame. They're going to consider him crazy," he was thinking, "He's going to talk about TVs."

"Yeah, that's true," Yukiko nodded, agreeing with Kanji.

"I'll come see Nana-chan every day so she'll get better faster," Teddie told the group.

"She'll like that," Souji said.

Rise said, "That's all we can do right now." She smiled at the bruiser, "Gee, Kanji… You almost sounded cool for a second.

At that moment, Adachi walked up to right around where Souji was standing. He looked slightly confused at their presence.

"Huh? You guys still here?" Adachi asked.

Yukiko asked slowly, "Adachi-san, um… did they find out anything?"

Adachi shook his head, "Dojima-san is speaking with the doctor now, but they can't say anything definite until they run some tests on her… Not just Nanako-chan, but the perp too… Who knows when we'll be able to hear his story?" He told the group, "Well, it's getting late, so hurry home. The last thing we need is for you to collapse too."

Adachi walked away and Yosuke gestured to the group, "He's right's. We should call it a night. Nanako-chan is going to be fine. Acting all gloomy won't help anything."

"I thought we already said that," Souji said.

"Snrk…," Yukiko smiled for the first time in a while.

Chie asked the others, "When Nanako-chan is out of the hospital, what should we do to celebrate?"

Yosuke responded, "Dude, isn't it a little early for that?" He was smiling regardless.

Yukiko had an idea and said, "Why don't we reserve Junes and have a party there?"

Yosuke looked confused as he said, "A party… at Junes? That makes absolutely no sense."

"For Nanako it does," Souji said.

The group started filtering out after that. Rise smiled at Rion, she understood that Rion taken her advice to heart. She had chosen Naoto instead of her. Teddie was the only one remaining, and he gestured to Souji. Souji asked Yukiko to wait for him. She nodded.

Souji stood beside Teddie as he asked, "Nana-chan… She'll get better, right?"

Souji smiled as best as he could and told him, "Just believe in her, Teddie."

"Yeah, I do believe in her," Teddie nodded.

"Good…," Souji said.

Teddie suggested, "Let's all have fun with Nana-chan when she gets back."

"We're planning on it," Souji responded.

"Thanks… I almost forgot how to keep a happy face," Teddie smiled, "But with that out of the way, I'm feeling all hungry." Teddie giggled and Souji smiled. Teddie noticed everyone was gone, which was pretty obvious and he exclaimed, "H… Hey, where did everybody go!? Don't leave without me!" He ran off to try and catch up to Kanji or Rise.

---

Souji caught up to Yukiko and started walking with her. She was happy that he remembered to catch up to her, and Souji was just as happy that she waited for him. It made the pain just a little more bearable. As they made their way down the Shopping District and towards the bus stop, Souji still felt a little nervous. Even Teddie and the others could not assuage all of his fears. He was not sure how long it would take for Nanako to get better, but he had to be confident for her. He had to believe in his "little sis."

"I'm sorry… it must be tough," Yukiko said to Souji as they interlaced their fingers.

"I think I'll be okay," Souji nodded, "I think that Nanako is stronger than whatever is ailing her."

"You're right," Yukiko smiled.

"We'll just have to wait and see," Souji said as they made their way back to the bus stop.

"She'll get better soon, and we'll have that party," Yukiko said cheerfully.

Souji said, "Of course. Teddie will go crazy though." Yukiko nodded.

"Dojima-san has to join us too," Yukiko said, "You know he'll be all rested up by then."

"Yeah…," Souji agreed.

"We'll put Namatame behind bars in no time at all," Yukiko said.

"I hope so," Souji said. Souji started doubting things as much as Rion did. He did seem a little crazy.

Yukiko contemplated, before she looked at him.

"Your house must be pretty quiet now," Yukiko said slowly, "Especially if Nanako-chan isn't around."

"Yeah, I guess so," Souji said. He was pretty lonely right now.

"You can call me if you need some company, Souji-kun," Yukiko smiled, "I love you, you know?"

"I know that," Souji responded.

Souji smiled as she squeezed her hand. He may have to take her up on that offer. Souji would need someone like her, and he loved her. He walked her up the steps and she kissed his cheek. Souji smiled and as the bus drove off; he started his long walk back with a spring in his step. He'd do alright.

---

Chie and Yosuke were taking the long way back towards Chie's home.

"I hope Nanako-chan will get better soon," Chie said, "She's too strong not to."

"I know…," Yosuke smiled, "Teddie will be so happy."

"I can't wait to see the smile on his face," Chie nodded, "He'll be ecstatic."

"I think we'll all be happy," Yosuke said.

"Definitely," Chie smiled.

"But why does the party have to be at Junes?" Yosuke asked.

"You know why," Chie answered, "She loves, loves, loves Junes!"

----

Rion and Naoto had an interesting walk towards her large home that was also the residence of the Shirogane clan. Needless to say, it made Rion a little more nervous than the first time.

As they walked hand in hand, Rion said softly, "I hope this doesn't make you to uncomfortable."

"I think I'll manage," Naoto responded, "Will you be okay? Meeting Grampa? He doesn't know you are coming."

Rion chuckled softly, "I guess I have to meet him sometime. Do you know that he makes me nervous?"

"Rion Ishinata, nervous?" Naoto chuckled, "Is that possible?"

"Amazing," Rion said, "Isn't it?"

"Rion-san…," Naoto asked slowly, "Why…?"

"I love you…," Rion said. He would never say that Rise tried to influence him, or that she believed that it was her words that influenced him to make that decision. He said slowly, "Does the reason even really matter in this case, Naoto-chan?" as he squeezed her hand.

"No…," Naoto responded. She smiled. They had arrived at the estate. "It's the moment of truth."

"Think he'll accept me?" Rion asked.

"Of course he will," Naoto answered. As she rang a doorbell, Yakushiji answered it, "I have a favor to ask. Can you ask Grampa to come to the door, please?"

"Of course, Naoto-sama," the secretary answered.

A minute or so later, an imposing man with white hair not much longer than Naoto's stepped out. Rion knew this must be Shirogane-san, as he dressed similarly to Naoto. He had an air, a presence that made Rion nervous. He exuded confidence and experience. You could tell this was Naoto's grandfather.

Naoto came up to her grampa and he bent down to whisper in his ear, and after she finished speaking; he had a small look of surprise on his face. Rion knew he was screwed at that moment. Yakushiji had a smirk on his, and Rion wanted to send his Persona at him, right then and there. He had a feeling that he already knew. Never before, was he the one at the disadvantage.

Naoto's grampa had motioned him forward and Rion slowly came forward and bowed slightly and said, "Good evening, Shirogane-san."

As Rion raised his head, Naoto could tell her grandpa was sizing him up, and seeing if he was worthy of her daughter.

"Yakushiji-san told me about you," The grandpa said, "He says you did what no one else could. You made her into a woman and a proper detective. You also managed to steal her heart. I just hope you treat her like a proper woman." It made Naoto relieved that it seemed that her grampa had accepted Rion.

"I will Shirogane-san," Rion bowed again. As the grandpa looked at him, he knew it was time to go, so he said, "I will take my leave and I will wish you farewell." He gave one last look at Naoto before leaving.

Naoto smiled at him before turning towards the door to enter. Her grampa asked her, "You really care for him, don't you?"

"I do grampa. I really do," She said.

---

Souji spent a fitful night where he could not sleep. With what happened yesterday, who could blame him. It was so quiet in that house, and everyone was in the hospital. "Thank goodness I'm picking up Yukiko in the morning."

---

"Good morning," Yukiko said.

"Hello," Souji said. He covered his mouth as he yawned. "Sorry, I'm just tired."

"Couldn't sleep?" Yukiko looked sympathetic, "I understand. I had a little trouble sleeping last night too."

"I'll be okay," Souji responded, "It's going to be alright."

Souji ended up being asked you discovered the cure for TB, when he was given the answer only about ten seconds beforehand. Kashiwagi was as dumb as usual. "It's Koch," he answered. Kashiwagi thought he was a genius while Souji just shook his head.

Souji started walking back with Yukiko after school too. He was going to take her to the bus. He was just too tired, and too drained to do much else today.

"Do you want me to stay there for a while?" Yukiko asked out of the blue.

Souji sighed. He was rather tired, and was planning on saying no, when she said, "I just want to hold you for a while. You look like you need somebody to be there, Souji-kun."

Souji looked into his heart. He needed something like this. Someone there for him, always there for him, and Yukiko was there for him.

"I'd like that… Yukiko," Souji said softly.

"Okay…," Yukiko responded.

They changed directions and headed over to Dojima's residence and headed not to his room, but to where Dojima usually feel asleep after a long day's work. Souji soon fell asleep on Yukiko's lap as she stroked his hair. She treasured this moment, and would not have it any other way. She shed a tear for what would come in the spring.

When Souji woke, Yukiko was gone, but he felt refreshed and happier than he had been all day.

---

In the morning, Chie and Yosuke were talking on the way to school.

"Why'd you give Teddie my number!?" Chie asked, "He keeps harassing me."

"That's not my fault," Yosuke responded, "He's just being silly."

"Yosuke…," Chie sighed, "Can't you just tell him not to call me?"

"Right… I'll put him on a double shift," Yosuke told the girl.

"Thank you," Chie finally said.

---

Rion got a call this morning.

"Yes?" he asked, "Can I help you Naoto-chan?"

Naoto sounded nervous, "Umm… Will you walk me to school?"

"Of course I will…," Rion responded.

She still sounded nervous when she said, "Oh, okay… D… Do you want me to wear the…"

"It doesn't matter… You can wear what you normally wear," Rion chuckled.

"Oh," Naoto sounded relieved, "Good."

---

It was an interesting sight when all three of the couples ended of walking together to school. It definitely made some noise between the students.

The catcalls when Souji walked up with Yukiko were amusing to Souji, and made Yukiko blush. It was great for Souji that was sure. The fact that only Souji and the other boys in the group made it annoying because the other guys in the school kept trying to asking her out. There were a lot of disappointed faces on a lot of guys, and surprisingly a lot of girls too.

A lot of whispering was going on when Chie and Yosuke came to school on how they were made for each. It increased when they got into an argument that they were perfect for each other when Chie hit him over the head.

The biggest disaster for the girl was when Naoto walked alongside Rion. She was beet red the entire time and probably regretting her decision to ask Rion to walk with her the whole way. Plus, the whistling and the girls who decided it was beyond cute made it unbearable and halfway through the gate, Naoto tried to bolt. Rion let her go, and the collective people in the school made her blush harder.

The day was more amusing than usual and Souji did not fall asleep in class today. He hit Rion over the head so he would not either. He had to make sure he would not do that anymore. He had an obligation. Instead of playing basketball, he walked up to the roof and watched the sky with Kou and Daisuke. Kou was contemplating if he should leave or not. He still was not sure, considering he was adopted.

The next day, Sunday, Souji hung out with Rion, Yukiko, and Naoto at well… where do you go when you want to go for a double date? They ended up wandering around until they decided to just stop at the Amagi Inn and mooch off of the wait staff. Free food was great.

Souji brought Yukiko home after school again on Monday. He made dinner for her before she had to go home. Key words… He made dinner, and it was edible.

Tuesday, he met with Kou and Daisuke again, and Kou had had a revelation over the past few days.

"I've decided not to move," Kou said, "I've decided to help raise my little sister."

"I'm glad," Souji said.

"It wouldn't be the same without you," Daisuke responded.

"Well… I'm just going to have to graduate high school with you guys," Kou said.

For some reason, he handed his adoption letter that was not really written by his real parents and they threw Souji into the river. He yelled at them, because the river was so damn cold in November. But, they had ramen afterwards, so he forgave them.

The next few days were routine for Souji. He would go to school and then Yukiko would come over to his home. She would just stay in the living room, and Souji would lie against her shoulder. Souji did help Yosuke with one answer, "What is the meaning of the word, wedding?" "He told Yosuke, a gamble." Yosuke thanked him.

Chie told Souji that she was afraid to go to Yosuke's house too often, because Teddie likes to come into his room and take pictures of them. "He goes around and shares them with everyone in Junes," she complained

Not even Souji knew what Naoto did when she visited Rion. Rion joked to him that Naoto liked to sit on his lap, and it made Souji laugh. He wondered how red it would make her if she knew Rion had told him. He didn't think he'd want to know.

He had gone home and slept away his worries for Friday. It had started raining. The Midnight Channel would come on in a few days. It worried Souji, even if everyone was safe. There were still things that bothered him.

School went on as usual, until the Sunday he got off. He studied which was unusual for him. In the evening, the news came on, just as expected.

"The week ended on a wet note, so expect for fog to last until tomorrow afternoon," the weathergirl said for the millionth or so time since Souji had arrived here.

Souji went upstairs and prepared to watch the Midnight Channel. He waited for the yellow screen. As expected, no one was there. "I'm not going to bother watching it anymore," Souji said to himself.

It was cloudy and still foggy as the next day approached. The weathergirl was wrong. "What is going on?" Souji asked.

Chie, Yosuke, and Yukiko were waiting for him as he met him by the pole Yosuke had hit at least six times during the year. Chie greeted him as he arrived, "Oh, there he is!"

"Hi…," Souji responded.

"Take a look at this. Namatame's is in today's paper," Yosuke responded.

Souji went over to the paper Yukiko was reading and said, "I guess you're right. He's regained consciousness."

After Souji had read the article in its entirety, Yosuke said, "So it's finally over."

"Yeah… Seriously," Chie agreed, "I wish we could have done it sooner, though."

The group looked around at all the fog and Chie said, "Isn't the fog kind of thick this morning? And it's so chilly! Brr…."

"I agree…," Souji said. He felt cold. He kind of wanted Rion's sweatshirt right about now.

Yukiko told them, "It rarely gets this cold in November." She had put down the newspaper.

Adachi had walked up to the four of them. "Oh, it's you guys," he said, "Perfect timing. I just got a call from the hospital. They said that starting today, it's okay to visit Nanako-chan."

Chie looked happy, "So, she's getting a little better… Thank goodness."

"That's great," Souji said, and Yukiko smiled at him.

Adachi looked at Yukiko, who was holding the paper, "Oh, is that today's paper? So you already know about him."

"Is it finally over, Adachi-san?" Souji asked.

"Well, the perp's been caught, so yeah," Adachi responded, "He's still mentally unstable, but we're slowly piecing together his story. This is still a secret, but I guess its okay to tell you guys. You know that diary we found? There were entries about Ms. Yamano and Ms. Konishi in it. Looks like Namatame had been making advances on Ms. Konishi."

"That son of a bitch…," Yosuke muttered.

"Yosuke…," Chie patted his shoulder.

Adachi looked nervous, "Uhh… Well, I'm gonna head to the hospital now. Dojima-san is recovering too, so I need to go over a few things about the case with him." Adachi walked off at that.

Yosuke had his head down, so Souji asked, "Are you okay Yosuke?"

Yosuke put his head up and smiled, "I'm alright. Namatame's been caught. He can't hurt anyone now."

"You're right, Yosuke," Yukiko said.

"Forget him," Yosuke said, "Let's all go visit Nanako-chan after school."

"Of course!" Chie answered.

"Let's tell the others when we get there," Yukiko told them.

The group walked off to tell the Persona-users the good news.

They all went to the hospital after school. Souji was standing closest to Nanako's bed on one side, and Dojima on the other side. Teddie was the farther away than anyone else. Naoto, Kanji, Yosuke, and Rion were standing in front of the bed, while Chie, Yukiko, and Rise were standing near Souji.

Dojima was the first to speak, "Nanako? Everyone's here to see you."

Nanako's head raised slightly as she struggled to talk, "Mm…" Souji smiled slightly at seeing her little sis a little better. His smile would brighten even more when she would say, "Big… bro…" It would bring a smile to everyone's faces. Even if Nanako was in pain, she smiled slightly.

Just then, a nurse came in and chided the father, "Dojima-san!" Dojima looked nervous, as the nurse sighed, "How many times does this make it today? I understand that you're worried about your daughter, but you need your rest too."

Dojima grumbled, "S… Sorry."

Yukiko looked at Souji's uncle and asked, "Are your injures that bad?"

Doijma said slowly, "Well, my wounds have just closed up, and it seems I have a couple of fractures as well."

Souji whispered to Rion, "That was nothing compared to you."

"He wasn't healed by Personas," Rion responded.

Adachi told the nurse, "I'm sorry… I'll wheel him back to his room."

Dojima grumbled at Adachi, "What are you apologizing for?"

The nurse told the older Dojima, "It's almost time for your checkup, so make sure you're back in your room before then."

Before Dojima left, however, Nanako spoke again, "Big… bro…" She struggled to say anything else, "…."

"I'm here…," Souji responded, and grasped her "little sis'" hand.

"Yeah, I'm so glad," Nanako responded.

Nanako fell back asleep.

As the group left the room, the doctor that talked to the group about Rion's condition gave them an idea about what was going on with Nanako.

He explained, "Her condition is stable for now, but… I never thought I'd say that as a doctor, but… We still can't figure out the cause of Nanako-chan's symptoms. That's why we can only administer temporary treatments to alleviate her pain."

"They don't know what's wrong with her?" Souji thought as the others looked worriedly at each other.

Dojima asked with trepidation, "But, she's not in danger anymore, right?"

The doctor said, "She's regained consciousness, but we can't let our guard down yet. All we can do for now is to monitor her condition closely."

Dojima shook his head and asked his gofer, "Adachi. How's it going with Namatame?"

He answered, "Well, he's awake now, but he's in condition to tell us anything useful. We only get a little time each day to interrogate him, so we're stuck until his strength recovers."

"I see… I should get back to work as soon as possible," Dojima put his head down. Souji looked worried for his health as well. Dojima kept going, "Hopefully by then, Nanako will be out of the hospital."

Adachi looked, how do you say it, tense, "I think Nanako-chan can get more peace and quiet is she stays here. It's so foggy out, and there's some weird rumors going around. Seems like no one knows why there's so much fog in town."

Souji shook his head. He didn't know either.

The doctor looked down, "It's true. The number of patients complaining about fog-related health problems has increased. Which is quite unusual." You could hear Rion "tch" in the background.

"Is it actually bad for you?" Souji asked. He wanted to laugh at Rion's outburst.

The doctor responded, "I can't say for sure if it has any effect on the human body. It certainly could be a psychological effect. People's anxiety over the fog could cause problems." The doctor shook his head, "But as far as the fog's chemical makeup… Well, that's not my field, so I can only speculate." The doctor sighed, "What concerns me is that the transportation of our medical supplies has been delayed because of this fog."

Dojima shook his head for the millionth time in the past five minutes, "Fog-related health problems. Now that's just ridiculous. Anyone who's says that is just blowing smoke."

Souji helped Adachi take Dojima back to his room and wished him good luck on his recovery. The doctor chided Rion before he left to take care of other patients because Rion had gone out recklessly to help catch Namatame before he was released. It made Souji chuckle. He walked out hand-in-hand with Yukiko and smiled as he left the hospital. At least Nanako was a little better.

"I'm glad she's awake," Yukiko said to him.

"Me too," Souji smiled.

---

Meanwhile, in the Shopping District

Two ladies were talking.

The first one said, "Isn't the weather strange? How could it be lasting so long?"

The other one said, "I've never seen anything like it."

The first one told the other, "I wonder what's causing it. It's so creepy." She kept on, "I heard that a friend of mine's son got sick from the fog and collapsed. You know how sensitive children are to that sort of thing."

The second one gossiped, "I heard something too. They say an old man was driving through the fog and got into an accident."

"What? Did he lose control?"

"Well, he'd never been in an accident before or even gotten a ticket before, so something seems off… Isn't that scary?"

The first one said, "I've even heard there are expert saying it's poisonous. I wonder if it's true."

The second one responded and asked, "Do you think if it's because of that, global warming thing? This town's changed a lot over the years. I wish the government would step in and do something about it."

"Oh, I agree completely. If we pay our taxes, I expect the authorities to do their jobs."

At that moment, a man dressed in a suit walked by, and another crazy man in a gas mask ran past him and yelled, "The fog is poison! It's filled with viruses! Don't inhale the fog, or you'll die!" The man in the gas mask ran away. The group in general looked at each other like the guy was insane.

The first lady said, "He's not the first one like that I've seen lately."

"Poisonous gas though?" the second one asked.

"Oh, I'm sure it's not true," the first one answered.

The second lady suddenly stopped for a second.

"Hm… Is something wrong?"

"Oh my… I… I think I'm coming down with something," the second lady said.

The man in the suit and the first lady suddenly looked nervous as the lady said, "You can't be serious." She said quickly, "Oh… that's right. I needed to do some grocery shopping." All three of them quickly walked away in different directions.

Shortly there after, Rise's grandmother walked out. She said, "Business has been so slow lately."

The next day at school, on his way to school, students were complaining about the fog. Souji just shook his head. "This is bullshit…," he thought.

Souji got a question today in his Social Studies class. He refused to get any more help from Rion. He was proud of that. "Where are the Patagonia Ice fields?" He answered correctly exactly within South America and felt special.

When Souji got out of school and was about to walk home, he was confronted by Naoto and Rion. They asked him if he wanted to visit Nanako, and if so, we'll go with you. Souji felt happy that he'd have company if he decided to go. Naoto and Rion were going to go study together, but now they had something better to do.

Souji smiled when he got to the hospital with the diminutive detective and the stoic swordsman in tow. Nanako had woken up when he had arrived, and she had smiled when Souji arrived.

"I'm here to say hi, little sis," Souji said softly.

"Big… bro…," Nanako said.

They carried on a very short conversation before Nanako fell back asleep.

As they turned and left the hospital, Souji asked Rion, "Are you still going to go "study?""

"We will be studying, really studying," Rion assured him, "I'm helping Naoto-chan get ready for the finals."

"How about after the studying?" Souji winked at him.

Rion shook his head, "I'm afraid not. Her grandfather expects her home by an exact moment."

"That's no fun," Souji responded, "But I'm sure just being around her…"

"That's good enough for me…," Rion nodded.

Souji smiled. He knew how Rion was feeling.

He felt pretty good as he went to sleep. The next day after school, Chie asked him if he wanted to visit Nanako with her and Yosuke.

"It's much better than studying, and its Nanako," Souji thought.

The three visited Nanako and made sure she was at least doing alright. She was the same as before, but she was happy to see Souji. Yosuke and Chie seemed happy to see Nanako-chan as well.

The next day, Rise and Teddie went with Souji to see Nanako. Teddie monopolized the time with Nanako. Souji just shook his head at the pedobear.

On Friday, after answering a question in school, he visited Nanako with Kanji. Souji felt good just seeing her again. He had heard a study that said constant contact with people while in the hospital made people get better faster. This was why Souji kept visiting, even at the expense at doing badly on his tests.

On Saturday, after school, Yukiko finally was off from working at the Inn. They had a big group hiding from the fog and they just left. After answering the wrong way to spell "Christmas," he decided what to do. So, Yukiko had asked Souji if he wanted to see Nanako, and Souji could not say no.

"Thanks…," Yukiko said, as they walked out of Nanako's room, "I think she's getting better.

"I think so too," Souji said. In actuality, he had not seen a difference, but he wasn't going to say that to Yukiko.

They walked back to the bus stop together, while holding hands.

Souji could have studied on Sunday, as it was the day before the exams. But, instead, they all visited Nanako together. Nanako woke up with Souji and all of his friends there. Even his uncle was there, before one of the nurses rebuked him and made him leave. She smiled at Souji until he said she could go back to sleep. She said, "I love you, big bro."

Souji felt so happy, but he was lost for words at his sick cousin.

So, as he returned in the evening, he buckled down and began studying. He wasn't sure where to start, so he began with some problems where Rion had helped him with before he was put out of commission for a while. He stopped when he was too tired to think.

As he walked to his end of the world, finals, he met up with Yosuke.

"Hey…," Souji said.

"Yo… Look at this weather, man," Yosuke said.

"It sucks…," Souji responded.

Yosuke said, "It sucks… Have you ever heard of something like this? Finals start today too, but that's not what matters."

Souji nodded, "Yeah… I know." There were more important things, like Nanako getting better and this weird fog.

"What's going to happen with this stuff?" Yosuke asked.

"I really don't know," Souji answered.

Yosuke shook his head as he said, "I thought the rumors about the fog being harmful was a rumor, but people are really getting sick, yeah? There are other rumors being spread too."

"It's got to be in their head," Souji said. "Weird rumors though," Souji thought.

"What's going on?" Yosuke wondered, "I don't know how to feel."

So, the finals began. Many of the questions were the ones he had studied, or the ones he had answered over the past few days. Souji was having an easy time with the finals, but more and more people were complaining about the fog each day. It was messing with his concentration. Finals would end on the 3rd, and Souji had never felt more confident about an exam. This was really odd for Souji, considering he spent his whole time visiting Nanako instead of studying.

It was the 3rd of December and Yosuke and Souji were walking towards school down the Shopping District. The fog was rather thick today.

"Man, this fog just won't quit," Yosuke said to him as both he and Souji came to a halt near the model shop, "The weather report said it might start snowing soon, but what's going to happen if it starts snowing with all this fog?"

"I don't know, Yosuke," Souji answered. Souji really didn't know.

They were surprised to see every single of their confidents suddenly arrive behind them, and they were surprised to see them as well… well almost all of them.

"Whoa… where'd did you come from!?" Chie asked as she stumbled upon the pair.

"Wow… that's quite a crowd you got there," Yosuke responded.

Rion looked at them. He was not surprised at all to see them. He pushed up his glasses.

Chie explained, "We ran into each other back there, so we came together. The fog's so thick that you can't see your nose in front of your face, so everyone is forming groups."

Souji said, "It's been so weird. It's cold too."

"The visibility is terrible," Rise complained. She stuck by Naoto and Rion. Naoto gave her a look.

"It's hard to see anything though. It's just like the other side," Rise said as she looked at Rion.

Kanji suddenly looked shocked, as Rion said, "Why do you think I'm wearing my glasses? It's not just because my eyesight is terrible." Rion pushed his glasses up.

Kanji put his on and said to them, "Guys… put on your glasses like Rion is!"

Everybody put on their glasses and the fog all but disappeared for Souji and the others as well.

"Whoa… It's all clear," Yukiko said.

"Wh… What the hell is going on!?" Yosuke asked.

Naoto made a deduction, "These glasses are meant to help us see through the fog in the other world. But putting that aside, no glasses would improve one's visibility in a fog, under normal circumstances."

"I doubt you could call these normal circumstances," Souji muttered.

Chie wondered out loud, "Then, umm… Could the fog from over there be leaking into our world?" As everyone nodded, Chie looked astounded and she said, "Huh? You guys think that's it!? I kinda expecting you to ignore it as Chie being random again. It's just a thought."

"That could explain some of the sickness," Rion said, "Remember the headaches we had when he first went into the TV world? They only were alleviated when he put on the glasses." Souji nodded at Rion's explanation.

"I remember that," Souji said, "We didn't feel well at all then."

Yosuke finally said after some silence, "Anyways, today's the last day of exams, right? Let's get them over with so we can meet up at the special headquarters after school."

Yukiko said to Yosuke, "Wow… we haven't used that name in a while."

The group walked to the school, actually being able to see. Souji took his final day of exams and breezed through the exam, writing his answers at a record pace. He even had time to check them afterwards. The group, including Teddie met up at their table in Junes after school. It felt like déjà vu for Souji. They had not met up here since capturing Namatame.

Souji was sitting next to Teddie as Chie was reading a paper as she said, "Hey, here's a story about the fog. Umm… "Some specialists are raising concerns that this fog may contain harmful substances. More and more citizens are calling for an investigation into the cause of the fog and the facts about it. Though the government has begun its preliminary investigation, many feel that the cause of the fog may be hard to pinpoint."" Chie shook her head, "Huh? Is the fog really that dangerous?"

Kanji gestured, "You hardly see people walkin' around town anymore… Or here, either."

Rise added, "Everyone is too scared of the fog now to go outdoors much."

Teddie said, "It does seem a lot like the fog on the other side. But beyond that, I'm clueless."

"Who knows…," Souji said.

Naoto looked at the paper and said, "There's another item of note here. A summary of Namatame's career, with details about the case." She read from the paper, "The suspect was having an affair with the first victim. It seems she was kiled due to relationship troubles. Also in April, Ms. Saki Konishi's body was discovered. The police are looking into a motive for the murder. In July, a boy performed a copycat murder. They boy was initially thought to be the culprit behind the killings, but later suspicion was thrown upon Namatame. Last month, the suspect attempted to kidnap a seven-year-old girl of Inaba, resulting in his arrest." Naoto took a deep breath and said, "It seems Namatame is still confined to his hospital bed, and further interrogation has yet to commence."

Yosuke put his head back and said, "So it's finally over. A lot of stuff's happened. But all that's left is for the police is to build a case against Namatame."

Souji looked skeptical and it looked like Rion shared his sentiment so Souji asked, "Can they really prove anything?"

"I'm sure your uncle can," Yosuke answered.

Rise backed Souji up by saying, "But the stuff he was saying was obviously nuts. If he says anything about the TV world he'll be considered mentally unstable."

Souji sighed, "What Dojima-san is doing is not so easy. He has to deal with someone who is going to talk about being a savior by kidnapping them and throwing them into TVs to save them."

Yukiko nodded, "I heard before that if the police don't have enough hard evidence, It's difficult for them to build a case."

Naoto sighed and said, "Yes, there are many such cases. It is the eternal conundrum for crime investigators."

Kanji was pissed, "So even if they're caught, the law can't do shit!?"

Souji shared the sentiment with Kanji.

"It's a possibility," Naoto put her head down.

"Hell's up with that!?" Kanji exclaimed, "We all know he did it. You can't just think a maniac who thinks he's saving people by killing them run free."

All the while, Rion had his eyes closed and thinking about something. Whatever it was, Souji had to think it was important.

Yosuke said quietly, "They better not dismiss something this serious because of mental issues. Everyone who died is his fault!"

"I know…," Souji said.

Yosuke continued, "If it weren't for what he did, no one would have tried a copycat killing. It's his fault that Nanako-chan is in the hospital right now."

"There's nothing we can about that now…," Souji said. He thought about what Nanako and Souji promised to do before she was kidnapped. He guessed he'd have to do alone now, but at least he could do it with his friends.

"What's the matter?" Chie asked, noticing that Souji wanted to ask something.

"Guys, do you want to pick out a kotatsu for Nanako?" Souji asked, "We were going to get one together, but…"

"You want to buy a kotatsu… for Nanako?" Rion asked, "Well… why did you not ask sooner?" Rion pushed up his glasses. Rion actually seemed enthusiastic for once outside of something regarding teenage girls with either blue or red hair. Then again, that made him only slightly apathetic.

"Why don't we check them out right now?" Chie asked. She seemed excited too, "I know Nanako-chan would be psyched if she came home and found a new kotatsu waiting for her."

"You should have told me sooner!" Yosuke said as well, "With the winter season, we have tons in stock." Yosuke ordered, "Alright! Off to the housewares section for Nanako-chan!"

"Okay…," Souji said. He was happy that he'd have something waiting for his little sis. He wanted her to be happy too.

The group made it to the housewares section, and were browsing the various kotatsu in stock. There were all kinds of them, and Souji did not know what kind Nanako would want.

Chie said while looking at one with Rise and Yukiko, "If we're getting a kotatsu, we'd better get some oranges to complete the set."

"It's a cliché because it's true, dammit!" Kanji exclaimed.

Naoto gestured and said, "The best compliment to a kotatsu would be a heated rug."

Yosuke explained, "Dude, that much juice would kill the breaker as soon as you try to microwave something."

"Rion has one…," Naoto retorted.

"That's Rion…," Yosuke said. He looked at Teddie, who looked down and said, "Oh yeah, you've never used a kotatsu before, huh Ted? It's nice and toasty." Yosuke looked at Teddie.

Teddie raised his head and said to Yosuke and the others, "Can I still stay here?" They all turned to him as he said, "You all kept your promise to me, so I should going back… But, I don't wanna go until Nana-chan gets better."

Rion shook his head as he thought, "Why does he think he should go back?"

Yosuke responded to the bear-human, "Of course you can stay. How many times do we have to say this before it gets through to you?"

"How do you think Nanako-chan would feel if you weren't there when she wakes up?" Souji asked.

Teddie responded glumly, "But… I couldn't save Nana-chan."

Rise smiled and said, "Don't be silly. We saved Nana-chan together."

Kanji told him, "We caught the killer, man. We couldn'ta done that without ya."

Yukiko said comfortingly, "Teddie, you shouldn't act this way when Nanako-chan is still fighting."

"You guys…," Teddie said sadly.

"You can stay here…," Souji told him.

Teddie smiled, "Sensei… I'm so touched!" Souji thought it might give Chie and Yosuke a little peace and quiet for a day, "I'll stay by your side until Nanako-chan comes home!"

Yosuke said, "Oh, that's right… I almost forgot that there's no one but you at your place." Souji and Yukiko smiled at each other.

Chie looked at everyone, "Hey, why don't we pick out a Christmas present for Nanako-chan while we're at it?"

Yukiko smiled, "Oh, that's a great idea! I'm sure she'll be out of the hospital by then."

Yosuke grumbled as he said, "Alright, but none of this "charge it to Yosuke" this time, got it Chie!" Chie smirked at him. He continued, "Are we clear on this?"

"Why would we do that?" Chie winked at him.

Yosuke exclaimed, "Dude, the clothes you got for this guy? I almost pissed my pants when I saw the receipt! How many days do you think I had to work to pay that off?"

"Well, don't blame me if Junes overcharges for things, right?" Chie replied, "And I thought we cleared this up." She winked at him, and he grumbled. Rion rolled his eyes, and Souji joined him.

"Well… that's the first and last time Chie-san is going to help a guy shop," Yosuke said.

"What did you say!?" Chie exclaimed. This had to be a new side to the argument. Everyone started backing away.

Teddie said in his seductive voice, "C'mon baby. Don't fight over me."

Both of them yelled, "Stay out of this!"

Rion came over to Teddie and whispered in his ear, "One word of advice. Stay out of a lover's quarrel."

Of course, it was made worse by, "Snrk… Hehehehehehe…."

Rise shook her head and said, "Let's leave them be and think of a present for Nanako-chan on our own."

"But what would a girl her age want?" Kanji asked himself.

Naoto asked Souji, "What do you think Nanako-chan would appreciate most?"

Souji started thinking, "Hmm…" He decided to say, "How about a Jack Frost doll."

Kanji smiled and said, "Yeah, that white, round shape is the best. A plush doll is the way to go."

"Kanji knows from experience," Rion smirked.

"Shut up, Rion…," Kanji exclaimed.

Yosuke told Souji, "Alright, as soon as Nanako-chan is out of the hospital, we'll have a party at your place."

Souji heard some terrifying words from Chie, "Yes! And we'll bake the cake!"

Rise agreed, "Of course!" Souji started screaming in his head.

Yukiko added, "Let's make it a cake to remember."

Souji was thinking, "Yukiko-chan, I love you, but I don't want to die."

Yosuke exclaimed, "Oh no you're not! Are you trying to send Nanako-chan back to the hospital!?"

Naoto looked slightly confused but Rion gave him a look of confirmation that it would be a bad idea. Rion knew about Naoto's cooking skills as well.

Souji's phone went off at this time, and he picked it up. Yosuke looked at it curiously as Souji answered it. It was Adachi.

"Hello?" Souji asked.

"Hello? This is Adachi. Um, I want you to stay calm and listen to me, okay?"

Souji started to think of something that could have gone wrong, but he decided to stay calm, and said, "O… okay."

"Nanako-chan's condition suddenly got worse," Adachi explained. This shocked Souji, and scared him to death, "The doctor wants you to come to the hospital immediately. We'll be waiting."

Adachi hung up.

"Guys…," Souji could barely get it out, "Nanako has gotten worse… We need to go to the hospital."

Yosuke was the first to speak, "C'mon. Let's go!"

They all but ran to the hospital to see Souji's little sis. Words could not describe the fear in Souji's eyes as he ran to the hospital. If there was a chance… no he had to believe in her. He rushed into the front door with Rion, Yosuke, and Kanji right behind him. They headed to the ICU, nearly knocking over a nurse.

They were all standing over the extremely sick Nanako Dojima, fear clouding everyone's eyes. The doctor was trying to explain her condition to the older Dojima.

A voice erupted into the hall, it was a woman's voice, "Doctor, this fog is poisonous, isn't it!? It's filled with viruses. They said so on TV. Isn't there a vaccine or something for it?"

A nurse responded, "Calm down, please. That's just a rumor."

A man yelled, "Don't tell me to calm down! You're lying! We know you have medicine for this! Are you just going to stand there and watch us die!?"

The nurse said, "Why would we do something like that?"

Chie shook her head, "What a commotion." "This is crazy," she thought, "It's getting out of control."

Dojima was losing it too, as he snapped at the doctor, "What the hell is that supposed to mean!? Can't you see how much pain she's in!?"

The doctor responded, "All we can do right now is monitor her condition closely. Dojima-san, you need to return to your…"

Dojima exclaimed, "I don't give a damn about myself! Do something about Nanako…" He cried out in pain.

Yosuke took him by the shoulder, "Dojima-san!"

Dojima said with conviction, but softly, "Just save her… For god's sake, please save Nanako."

The doctor put his head down and said, "We'll do our best." He looked at the group and said, "I must ask you to step out for time being."

The Persona-users nodded and walked out in agreement with the doctor.

Dojima was the last to leave, "Nanako…"

The nurse took Dojima off of Yosuke's hands and back to his room while the rest of the group waited outside. They were in the exact same positions they were at when they took Nanako to the hospital the first time. But, this time, they were even gloomier.

Yosuke walked up to Teddie and said, "Hey! Can't you do something!? This all has to do with the world you came from. Can't you figure something out!?" They were all frustrated and Yosuke was taking it out on Teddie.

"I'm thinking and thinking, but…," Teddie said.

"Dammit! Why does this have to happen like a girl to her!?" Kanji exclaimed.

"We all feel the same way," Souji said. "It's not fair…," Souji thought.

"It's Namatame's fault!" Kanji yelled.

Chie said worriedly, "Nanako-chan's gonna be okay, right?" Yosuke walked up to her and grasped her hand momentarily.

Adachi had walked up at that moment and asked, "You guys still here?"

The group looked up and Naoto asked, "How is Dojima-san doing?"

Adachi responded, "His wounds opened up again. They're treating it over in his room right now."

"Any luck with your investigation with Namatame?" Yosuke asked.

Adachi looked nervous, "About that… I won't mince words here. We're going to have a hard time making these charges stick." Everyone except Rion and Naoto looked surprised. They just shook their head.

"What's that mean!?" Yosuke exclaimed loudly.

Adachi explained, "I talked with the guys at the station, and it'll be next to impossible to find him guilty in court. Especially given the reason why we took him off the list of suspects for the first case."

Chie said slowly, "Oh yeah, something about him having an alibi."

"Yeah, that. And the whole angle about him putting people into TVs. There's no way that'll stand up in court. No one would believe that. What the public wants is when, where, and how Namatame killed these people. And Dojima-san knows it."

Kanji walked right up to Adachi and said, "Well, ain't you calm about this."

Adachi said nervously, "I… I'm just telling you the truth."

"And you call yourself a cop!? Huh!?" Kanji yelled. Kanji picked up Adachi by his shirt collar and said, "If you wanna to see that stuff so bad, we'll show you! Hurry up and bring a TV here, dammit!"

Rise was yelling at Kanji, "Hey, stop…" when a nurse ran out of Nanako's room.

"What the…?" Kanji wondered as he dropped Adachi.

The nurse asked, "Is Nanako-chan's family here?"

Souji said, "I'm her family."

The nurse said, "Hurry inside! Please talk to her!"

Souji ran inside as fast as he could, the dread rising from the pit of his stomach. He was scared to death. The group crowded around Nanako's door.

"What the hell!? What's going on!?" Yosuke exclaimed loudly.

"No… Nanako-chan…," Yukiko said sadly and softly.

Rion just removed his glasses and grasped Naoto's hand, while Chie grasped Yosuke's.

The doctor, nurse, and Souji were all standing around Nanako's bed.

"Daddy…," Nanako said painfully.

"He'll be here soon," Souji said as calmly as he could. Souji had never been so scared. He had faced death straight in the eyes, and spit in it. He had watched his friends nearly bleed to the death and carried them back, but never was he this scared.

Nanako was struggling to breathe. Her heart rate monitor began flat lining, and Souji's worst fears were coming true. He could not lose his little sis. How he wished he could use his Persona right now.

The doctor tried to talk to her, "Nanako-chan… Nanako-chan. Can you hear us? Do you understand what we're saying? Your big brother is here with you. Please hang in there."

The nurse adjusted her breathing tube and Nanako struggled to breathe again as she managed a little noise, "Ngh…"

The doctor exclaimed, "Where's Dojima-san!?"

The nurse responded, "We're calling for him right now!"

As the group waited outside, scared and in despair, they saw Dojima walking slowly with a nurse supporting him towards Nanako's room.

"How's Nanako!?" he exclaimed.

Rion just shook his head and he hurried as fast as he could towards the room.

"Doctor…," the nurse said despairingly.

"….," the doctor didn't know what to say.

Nanako managed to turn her head and say very painfully, "Big… bro…"

"I'm here Nanako…," Souji said very softly. Those words bit at him as she smiled at him. It hurt so much. Souji grasped Nanako's hand and looked into her eyes.

"I'm scared…," she managed to say to her big bro.

"Don't worry… we're all here for you."

"Big… bro… Dad…dy…," she struggled to say. It must have hurt tremendously. Her head turned to the side… her eyes closed…. and the heart monitor suddenly stopped. Souji's heart felt like it stopped as well. He put his head down while still grasping Nanako's hand. He had lost his little sis.

Dojima had just entered while the heart monitor went down. It killed Dojima. He yelled, "Nanako!" He walked to the front of Nanako's bed and just stared at her still form. He finally managed to say with tears in his eyes, "Nanako…?"

Chie, Yosuke, Teddie, Yukiko, and Rion all rushed into the room at this point. Rion stopped at the doorway, while the others were standing right by the nurse.

Rion had removed his glasses and had sighed multiple times. He was trying to hold back all of his sad emotions. His deep breathes were the only thing keeping him from shedding tears.

"I'm sorry, Sir," the doctor said to Dojima.

"No!" Chie exclaimed. She started bawling.

Yukiko started bawling as well as she went over to Souji.

Dojima collapsed to his knees in front of Nanako. He had lost the most important thing in the world to him.

"Dammit…," Yosuke muttered softly. He yelled, "Dammit!" as he enclosed his arms around Chie.

"Nana-chan…," Teddie said softly.

Rion had walked out the door to Naoto and Rise. The doctor and Dojima followed shortly thereafter.

Rion was now placed in between the pair of detective and idol on the bench as the doctor said, "We did everything we could, but we still couldn't figure out what caused this."

Dojima started walking off away from Nanako's room, solemnly and sadly.

"AAAAGGH!" Kanji yelled in pain and frustration.

Rise was in tears as well as Naoto saying softly, tears welling up in her eyes, "Nanako-chan." She placed herself under Rion's arm. She let Rion place his other arm around Rise. At this point, with the death of Nanako, it didn't really matter right now.

Souji just crumpled to his knees like Dojima. He wanted to take back nasty thought he ever had about Nanako. Every bad comment he made about Junes commercials, or the time he ate the pudding. He wanted to take back the time he wanted to use her as a slave to make his food because he was poisoned by Yukiko's cooking. Souji… had a little sister. His little sister was gone.

The defective would walk up only moments later.

* * *

I made a few liberties, especially at the end on where people were. But, that was mainly for relationship reasons. Hope it's okay.


	23. Chapter 23

Novelization of Persona 4 Chapter 23

I own absolutely nothing related to Persona, or SMT, or well anything.

What can I say about this chapter…? Well you'll see. One word… Alive

* * *

To say that the group was a complete mess when everyone's favorite defective came up besides Kanji, Rion, Naoto, and Rise was a bit of an understatement. The rage, distress, and pure sadness in the hearts of everyone were prevalent to anyone in the area.

As Adachi walked besides the sitting and standing forms of Rion and Kanji as Dojima walked down the hall, he asked, "Dojima-san? What's with that look?" Kanji, Naoto and Rion looked at him, the pain written on their faces. "Huh? What's wrong everyone?" Adachi asked. Adachi made the connection by seeing Naoto's teary gaze while being held in Rion's comforting yet distressed care, and Kanji's angry eyes. "Huh? Wait… I… Is Nanako-chan…?" Adachi was worried and a bit shocked.

He suddenly noticed where Dojima had walked off to, "But then, where did Dojima-san go? His room isn't that way…" He made a shocking realization, "Wait a sec… that's the way to…!" Rion's eyes flared up in slight shock and rage as Naoto and Kanji looked confused. All the while, Rise just kept crying under Rion's other arm.

"You're telling me that…!" Rion exclaimed and asked with fervor, "You had no way of monitoring him!? Dojima-san has full access to him, no matter what guards you have up there." as he and Kanji both confronted Adachi while Naoto and Rise had stood up, away from the man. Rion had discarded his walking stick and left it against the wall.

Rise yelled for Souji, "Senpai! Senpai!" All of the others came running at Rise's beckoning out of Nanako's room. Rise explained to them, "Dojima-san might've gone after Namatame. Adachi-san said he was admitted to this hospital!"

Yosuke advanced towards Adachi and cried out, "You're telling me you transported him to the same hospital? For crying out loud, he's the suspect in the case."

Adachi explained nervously, "Wh… What are you getting mad at me for? This is the biggest hospital, and he's in no condition to be moved."

"Where is his room?" Souji asked. He wanted to follow Dojima as well. Secretly, he had half a mind to do what his uncle had planned. Souji was not sure if it was the best idea though.

"I… I can't tell you that," Adachi explained. The others seemed to think otherwise, and Adachi knew it.

Kanji yelled at him as Rion backed away for his own safety, "Just tell us where he is already! Dojima-san's on his way, ain't he? You don't know what he's gonna do there if we don't stop him!"

Chie looked shocked, but everyone else knew what he meant, "Kanji-kun, you don't mean…"

"Of course he means that," Rion answered.

Adachi shook his head, "H… Hold on… Just what are you guys talking about?"

"Cough it up! Where's his room!?" Kanji picked up Adachi for the second time today.

Adachi struggled to say, but he managed to get it out, "T… Top floor, in the second surgical ward, furthest room back. But, there's a police guard."

Kanji released him, and Adachi took a deep breath. All of them started running towards the stairs to try and catch Dojima, and find Namatame.

"I don't know…," Souji thought, "What I will do when I see my cousin's killer."

---

In Nanako's hospital room,

Teddie was keeping a lonely vigil over Nanako's body.

"I…," Teddie started to say, "I was always watching over Nana-chan… And I still couldn't save her. It happened in my world." Teddie was breaking down, "Even though I was the only Teddie in that place… I… I still couldn't do anything… I…" Teddie had started crying.

---

Outside of Namatame's room,

By this time, Dojima had reached Namatame's room, and the two guards had stopped him and were holding him to make sure he could not go any farther. They were probably afraid for the same reason the others were.

"Let go of me… I need to speak with him," Dojima told the guards.

"Like we said, without permission," one of the guards replied.

"Permission?" Dojima asked the guard, raising his voice, "Who gave him permission to kill Nanako? Tell me that, huh!?" He yelled at them, "To hell with you all." Doijma continued in absolute rage. Only he knew how mad he was, "Why is he still alive when Nanako's dead!?" He struggled against the guards, "Give me back Nanako! Give her back! She's… She's all I have!" Dojima finally told them in absolute resignation, "She's… the only one… in the world."

The other policeman said to the first one as he saw Dojima's strength waning, "Call a doctor!"

Dojima continued to struggle, "Let go of me… I need to…"

Adachi had arrived by this point and was surprised to see Dojima resisting against the guards. "Holy crap! Dojima-san!" He told the guards, "Quick, get him to his room! I'll go alert the doctors!"

The guards slowly led Souji's uncle away from Namatame's room. It left the opportunity wide open for… the Persona-users. They had slowed down considerably when they figured it was pointless to chase after Dojima. Souji was the first to reach Namatame's room after seeing Dojima being lead away.

"Well… this is opportunistic," Souji thought, "There's no one there."

"Dojima-san… Was he seriously gonna?" Chie asked worriedly. Chie was a mixture of both frightened and saddened by now.

Yosuke sighed at the sight of Dojima's failure. Namatame surviving did not sit well with him either.

Kanji seemed to try and justify Dojima's actions as he said, "His only daughter's dead… Nothing woulda surprised me."

Rion shook his head as he said, "Dojima-san knew that there was all but no chance that Namatame would be convicted of his crimes due to his current testimonies."

Yosuke said painfully, "Dammit! He's killed Saki-senpai, and now Nanako-chan. And that bastard's going to walk away without paying for what he did." Yosuke's tone of voice had risen as his speech continued. He was pissed at Dojima failing.

"That's not right," Yukiko agreed. Yukiko didn't know what to say. What could she say about Souji's cousin dying and the person who killed her? Getting away with it all? "What can we do?" Yukiko thought.

Naoto just sighed. "The criminal system is not fair," She thought, "I don't agree with it at all sometimes. Not when it affects the people we care about." She had started crying, and looked to Rion for comfort. He placed his arm around her.

Rise said sadly, "Why? Why is he the one that gets to go on living?"

They heard a crash on the other side of the door. It was in Namatame's room. With no guards, they decided to check it out.

"Let's see what the hell that is," Souji told them, "A crash in Namatame's room."

Namatame's room was nice, really nice. It was a two person suite, but only Namatame was present for obvious reasons. It had a large screen TV, which Souji found very odd… and many other amenities were present. When Souji and the others walked in, they saw Namatame on the floor, the window open. The group ran up to him and confronted him.

Namatame was very weak as he struggled to say, "Agh… Ugh…" He was dressed in a white hospital gown, his hair slicked back.

"What are you doing?" Souji asked. "If he's trying to escape, I'm having Rion draw the blade out of his staff right here and now," Souji thought, "No questions asked."

"I… I was scared… So… I… I," Namatame tried to explain.

Yosuke confronted the criminal, "You have your life, and now you want your freedom, too!?" He was yelling at Namatame.

Yosuke's girlfriend yelled at him, "It's your fault that Nanako-chan's…!"

"I… I didn't, I…," Namatame pleaded with them.

Souji was fuming from the ears. You could see the smoke, not literally. He was so pissed at that moment, he had to take a deep breath or he'd be asking Rion for his walking stick right here and now.

As Namatame pleaded, the TV suddenly turned on, grabbing everyone's attention.

Rise said to the others, "12 o'clock… Is it the Midnight Channel? Hey, isn't this!?"

"It appears so," Rion said calmly. He pushed every other emotion he had away to focus on this new development. There was something bothering him about this.

The picture was one of Namatame in his delivery uniform. He had trademark yellow eyes of a Shadow as he said in a cold dark voice, _"I failed to save her. It's because you got in my way."_

"Another Namatame?" Yosuke wondered. He was obviously confused. He joined pretty much everyone else with that, "How!? The real one's right here, and we already beat his Shadow…"

Rion closed his eyes in thought, "It couldn't be… If that's the case, then that would explain a lot about it."

Naoto put forth her explanation, "No… Come to think of it, Namatame never faced his other self. And we didn't witness his Shadow returning to his body as a Persona, either. Perhaps that's why we're seeing this now."

"What… the…," Namatame said. He was obviously scared and confused.

The Shadow repeated, _"I failed. But it wasn't my fault. And the law can't touch me anyway."_

"Wh… What!?" the real Namatame said, confused.

Chie asked the others, "Is that what Namatame's really thinking?" She raised her voice, "Then he wasn't deranged or anything. He knew what he was doing!"

"To hell with the law! I won't ever forgive you for what you did!" Yosuke told Namatame.

"This… Please… Stop!" Namatame held his head and shook it violently.

"He seems confused, however…," Rion was contemplating in his head, "Unless he's playing a mind game. If he's really thinking this… no…"

Kanji asked him, "Huh? Stop what? We ain't even done anything yet!" He looked at the former secretary, "Or do you want us to do something? Something fitting for a bastard like you!"

Rise was getting scared as she said, "Kanji…" Rion glanced at her and gave her a look of reassurance to try and help her calm down.

Yosuke sighed at Kanji's outburst and Rise's remark. The Shadow replied, _"Do whatever you want. You hate me because the child died, don't you!? I don't care either way. Living or dying makes no difference to me."_ He chuckled, _"But you… You're different… You can't do such a thing. You wouldn't dare, right? I'll continue "saving" people. It's my mission."_

The TV turned off, and the Shadow disappeared.

"Mission!?" Yukiko sounded disgusted.

"My god…," Naoto exclaimed.

Namatame held his head and said, "Please… stop."

Yosuke looked at Souji and said, "He wants us to stop. What should we do?" Souji's eyes widened slightly. Even he was unsure if he wanted to do this. He had thought about it, but to real do it…

"What do you mean?" Chie asked. She looked worried.

Kanji explained, "We can't let this bastard do whatever he pleases."

"Still… What are you going to do?" Yukiko asked.

Yosuke said with conviction, "No way I'm gonna walk out of here doing nothing."

Chie said, "I… I understand, but…"

Naoto stepped away from where Rion was standing and said, "This must be a luxury suite. Most hospital wards don't have such large televisions. Why, with something like this in the room, this man could have escaped at any time. Although once he enters… he may find there is no way out."

Rion stepped up to her and whispered into her ear, "Wait a moment before you act irrational…"

Naoto turned towards Rion in shock and annoyance. She didn't like his interference. But seeing her look seemed to have annoyed him. "Shut up, Rion…," Naoto said softly.

Rion just turned away from her in disgust. "It's not my fault anymore if he dies…," Rion thought, "They can all send him to hell if they want."

Rise's eyes widened as she said, "W… Wait a second! You don't mean… Are you serious!?"

"You just gonna turn your back and walk away?" Kanji asked Rise.

"That's… But…!" Rise tried to answer.

Chie exclaimed as she turned to Kanji and Yosuke, "What's gotten into you guys!?" She shook her head as she looked at Namatame, "This is crazy! How can we do something like that!?"

Yosuke turned to her and exclaimed to all of them, "Chie! Everyone… Listen to me. If we're going to do this… this is our only shot. We won't get a second chance. At this rate, this guy's going to get off the hook… And he'll go around "saving" people again! You just heard what this bastard's thinking! If that happens… it'll be just like Saki-senpai and Nanako-chan… Who knows how many other innocent people will die this time? I can't let something like this go! This person can't be convicted… I won't let it happen before it happens again. There's no way I can do it. It's just wrong, isn't it!?"

"But… Y… Yosuke," Chie tried to say in defense.

"All we have to do is push him inside the TV… That's it," Yosuke explained, "We do that one thing, and then it's all over."

"J… Just push him inside?" Chie asked.

Yosuke looked at all of them, "If any of you want no part in this, just leave the room now. I'm not gonna force you to stay." He turned straight to look at Souji and said, "As for me, nothing could make me forgive this bastard… But before we do this, I want to hear what you think. What do you wanna do, Souji?"

Souji took a deep breath as he thought about what to do with his cousin's killer. Could he take a life if he never saw him die?

"Wait a second here…," Souji said to Yosuke.

Yosuke yelled at him, "We don't have time to wait! If we don't do this now, the cops'll come back!" He asked Souji, "What are you trying to say?"

Souji shook his head, "We're missing something."

Yosuke looked confused, "Something we don't know? What don't we know!?"

Souji had noticed Rion's eyes the whole time. It's why he never spoke during the whole time. Despite his wish to kill Namatame here and now, it was Rion's contemplation that made him question something. He had noticed Namatame on the floor. So, Souji responded, "Namtame's true feelings."

"But we just heard the guy's true feelings on TV!" Yosuke rebuked Souji. Yosuke exclaimed, "What didn't you understand!?"

"Something's bothering me," Souji said.

"Well, what is it!?" Yosuke yelled at the leader. He told Souji, "I already told you, there's no time to waste! Are you even getting at something, or are you just stalling!?"

"We're missing something," Souji answered. He knew for sure that there was something wrong with the picture now.

Yosuke had calmed down a little as he asked, "Missing…? Like what exactly?" Yosuke raised his voice again, "Dammit! I've heard enough of this bullshit! Give me a straight answer! Are we doing this or not!? That's all I give a damn about right now!"

Souji was sick and tired of Yosuke right about now. He needed to question Namatame. Even if he was Nanako's killer, he needed answers. Something was wrong, and he wasn't the only one that knew it. So, he was shutting up the man that would never shut up here and now. "CALM THE HELL DOWN!"

It put everyone in their places. No one spoke, and Souji could finally think. Rion pushed up his glasses, and closed his eyes again. Souji thought Rion was probably glad for the peace and quiet.

Naoto was obviously affected by Souji's outburst. When Naoto tried to grasp his hand for reassurance, Rion ignored her need. She was saddened and a little scared. He must be annoyed at her, or just stressed. She remembered what she said to him, he must be mad.

"Nnngh," Namatame mumbled in the background.

Yukiko finally managed to say, "H… He's right. L… Let's all calm down for a second."

Yosuke muttered, "I'm perfectly calm."

"That's bullshit, Yosuke," Rion responded from the side. Souji knew Rion was the only calm person in the room.

Chie asked Souji, "Hey… what did you mean by "we're missing something?""

Yosuke looked at Souji and asked, "What's there to miss with a sick bastard like him?"

Rise looked at everyone and suggested, "Hey, let's all take a deep breath. After what happened to Nanako-chan, and seeing Dojima-san… we're not thinking straight right now."

Rion told them, "We all need to relax for a bit."

Kanji shook his head, "Tch… Fine…"

Everyone took a second or two to breathe and regain their composure.

Souji finally felt like he had control of the group again. He hoped Yosuke would not go crazy anymore, or that Kanji might go postal on Namatame.

Naoto breathed, took a look at her closest confidant and boyfriend before saying, "You're right… We should calm down and think rationally about this. I realize now that we've heard nothing from Namatame's perspective." She nodded, "There's no denying that this man has brought great harm to Nanako-chan. But other than that point, the rest comes from our assumptions based on watching the Midnight Channel a moment ago. I won't deny that we were blinded by the heat of the moment… trying to impute all responsibility to him rashly."

"But…!" Kanji exclaimed.

Yosuke responded, "Yeah, the guy's not saying anything. Whatever reason he had, there's no doubt about the fact that he's been throwing people inside the TV. It was him who put Senpai through that misery. How can we possibly understand someone who says killing people is the same as "saving" them?"

Rion shook his head in denial as Souji asked, "Has he ever truly said that, Yosuke?"

Naoto agreed as she said, "Failing to understand and failing to listen are rather different things."

Yosuke was at a loss for words.

Naoto continued, "Truthfully, not all the hitches that were nagging at me have been answered yet. We'll have to see what he can tell us about them." She looked at Namatame, "Though it appears he's in no condition to do so at the moment."

Rion took a deep breath as he tried to explain, "We know that Nanako-chan was thrown in by Namatame, correct?" The group nodded as he continued, "And you all agree that Namatame threw all of you in to save you." He pointed in the general direction of Rise, Kanji, Yukiko, and Naoto. The group nodded, "So, why… why would he throw Yamano and Konishi in before all of you, if he was trying to save you? If he did so, for what purpose did it serve? And what was he saving you from?" Rion asked them.

No one could really answer Rion's questions at that time. Souji looked at the stoic boy who was obviously thinking again. He probably knew the answers to his own questions.

Yosuke crossed his arms then just nodded, "True… Dealing with him right now might not solve all the things that are bothering us. Dammit…" Yosuke was annoyed as he said, "But you better remember this… I'll do everything I can to stop him from repeating what he's done. Anytime, anywhere… anything."

"Let's just think for now…," Souji said. He sighed. He was tired, and emotionally wiped. He was devastated, and that was just the tip of the iceberg. And he had to hide it all from them. He felt like Rion trying to maintain this stoic. "How does he do it?" he thought.

"Geez… How the hell can you stay so calm, man?" Yosuke asked, "Then again, that's why you're our leader." Yosuke sighed, "Alright. Let's go ahead and think this through as much as we need."

Kanji told them, "If we leave any unanswered questions behind, we'll just be lying to ourselves. Yeah, that ain't gonna cut it. I'm convinced."

Rise was happy that no one was thrown in. "Thank you… I'll think as hard as I can, and try to help out!"

"We all know how you feel, Yosuke," Chie said. She told the group, "C'mon, we've accomplished this much together, haven't we?"

Yukiko smiled as well as she could, despite what had happened, "Right… Together."

"Yeah…," Yosuke said softly, "Yeah… You're right." He apologized, "Sorry…"

The group felt like this was a turning point in their investigation if this was not over. Souji knew that if Namatame could possibly be innocent… then… Souji would need his thinking cap… Souji would need Naoto and Rion, double time. He didn't know that friction between the pair had just started.

After calming down considerably, the door opened, and a voice cried out, "Hey… You guys!? What're you doing!? You can't be in here!?" Both Adachi and the doctor came in as the group turned around.

"Oh shit…," Souji muttered, "This is not what I need right now."

"Oh crap…," Chie said, copying Souji's sentiments.

The doctor rushed over to Namatame, seeing his plight.

Naoto tried to vouch for the group, her expression worried, "We… were keeping an eye on the suspect." She continued, "The police officers outside seemed to have their hands full taking care of Dojima-san. If Namatame were to escape, it would be a disaster for the police's reputation, and their trust in you, Adachi-san." She had emphasized "Adachi-san".

Adachi got nervous, "Oh… I see. We'll tighten security from now on, and I'll arrange for him to be transported out as soon as possible. So… if you can keep quiet about being in here, I'd really appreciate it."

Souji nodded, while Rion shook his head as he thought, "We need to question him, and he's being transported? What the hell!? I could have handled that better."

Naoto turned her attention to the hospital gown-clad man and the doctor and asked, "How is he, doctor? He seemed extremely agitated only a moment ago."

"That's because you were all threatening to throw him into a TV," Souji thought.

The doctor stood up from checking on Namatame and said, "He seems fine for now, but he really needs his rest." He told them, "Outside, everyone. Doctor's orders."

"U… Understood," Adachi said quickly.

Rion looked at him as Yosuke said solemnly, "We should go too. Let's go back to Nanako-chan's room." This depressed Souji.

They made their walk back out of the surgery ward. They stopped and made a circle. Souji was at the point, with Chie and Naoto at either side of him. Rion was noticeably absent from the circle, and standing off to the side, eyes closed.

"So, what's this thing we're missing?" Yosuke asked Souji.

Yukiko responded, "To tell the truth, there's something that's been bothering me too. It's what Rion said. Why did he start killing people in the first place?"

"Well, he said himself," Chie answered, "it was to "save" them, right? So, he killed his lover in order to save her, and kept going?"

Rion sighed. "People are so naive…," he was thinking, "How long are they going to think this way? Namatame… pssh…"

Naoto said, "The police speculated that the first murder was related to the affair, so they called in Namatame for questioning. But everything in his testimony and his bearing… No matter what they looked at, they found nothing suspicious. If he truly is twisted enough to believe that murder is a means of saving people, I think that would have shone through."

"Maybe he faked it real well," Yosuke guessed, "Or maybe he started out with a normal motive, and got a taste for killing after the first time…"

Naoto shook her head at the Junes boy and explained, "No… If that were the case, his motive for killing the announcer would be even more inexplicable. Namatame and his wife were separated at the time. Both Misuzu Hiragi and himself testified that she had discarded him. Hiragi also knew about Yamano beforehand, and Namatame was shocked to hear of Yamano's death. Their relationship was known, and was not strained to the point of murder. Their's simply no motive in the affair angle. The police invested a great effort into investigating this point. Therefore, we have no convincing motive for Namatame for to kill Mayumi Yamano. Although, her name was written in Namatame's own diary."

Yosuke shook his head, "His reason for killing her…"

Rise responded, "It's still possible he was crazy to begin with and no one realized, right?"

"I doubt it," Souji said.

Kanji said, obviously frustrated, "Uhh… I don't really get any of this."

Chie said the same, "Argh! This is so confusing."

"What's so confusing about it?" Rion asked, eyes still closed, "It's simple."

Souji chuckled at Rion's response as Kanji glared at both of them.

Adachi walked in at this point and said, "Hey, we could hear you in there… This is a hospital, Maybe you should try and quiet down a little."

It didn't help that a nurse suddenly came running and said, "Oh there you are! All of you!"

When she arrived she commanded, "Please come with immediately!"

Chie wondered, "Wh… What's going on!?"

Adachi asked them, "What are you waiting for? Hurry, go!"

The group ran off, following the nurse. She seemed to be heading towards the ICU.

---

Teddie appeared in a dark, creepy fog on asphalt.

He said as suddenly awoke, "Wh… Where am I!?"

He turned side to side to try and get his bearings. He asked himself, "Is this Teddie's world? This doesn't quite feel like it, though."

Teddie started walking off as he said quietly, "I remember being at the hospital." He said sadly, "That's right… Nana-chan." He put his head down and started bear-crying, "I… I couldn't do anything. Why do I even exist? I couldn't keep my promise. I lost my reason to be there."

Teddie's head shot up, "That's it. I remember now."

He put his head down and said sadly, "So… it was true… Guys… Sensei… What should I do?"

---

The fates hated Souji. They had to return to Nanako's room. Why did they make him suffer? But there had to be a good reason that the nurse made him run so hard, right?

They had all walked into little sis's room with Souji leading the way into the room when the doctor turned around. He looked surprised and relieved to see them as he said, "Oh, there they are!"

What Souji would hear next would make Souji nearly collapse for joy as the doctor said, "Nanako-chan came around!"

Rise looked surprised and in awe as she said, "Huh? What did you just say?"

They all surrounded Nanako's hospital bed to take a look at her.

"Nanako-chan's… alive?" Yukiko inquired with tears in her eyes.

Even Yosuke was tearing up as he asked the doctor, "Are you serious?"

"No way…," Souji thought, "Nanako…, little sis." He was so happy.

The doctor explained, "It's very rare to be resuscitated after one's heart and lungs fail, but it does happen. But until I know why she collapsed in the first place, I can't say for sure how well she'll recover from here on. Still, Nanako-chan's a fighter, and she's trying desperately to stay alive."

"You aren't kidding, are you?" Souji shook his head. He wanted to believe the doctor, but it was really hard to after everything that had happened. If it was true… he could just be happy.

"S… So this isn't a joke?" Yosuke said. He really was losing his composure, "You're actually telling the truth."

"Nanako-chan…!" Yukiko said happily, but with compassion.

"Oh my God… I… I," Chie said, disbelieving. Chie was lost for words.

"Haha… This is amazing!" Kanji exclaimed.

"Miracles do happen," Naoto said softly, "I'm so glad."

"Finally, we have something good happen to a good person," Rion smiled.

Rise completely broke down, for about the sixth time today, "I… I… didn't know what was going to do." Her crying set off a chain reaction within the group.

Yukiko started crying.

Chie tried to stop the river of tears, but… "C'mon, stop crying, you two." It didn't work, as she started crying as well.

Souji shook his head as he fought back with all his strength not to cry himself. He was strong, but his own cousin, no, his sister… came back from the dead. He would be okay.

The nurse and the doctor checked up on Nanako and the doctor told the group, "You should all go home for the night." He continued, "I'll speak with Dojima-san tomorrow about Nanako-chan's treatment. It's rather chilly outside… If it starts snowing, be careful not to catch a cold."

Yosuke looked up while the others were still trying to gather themselves and asked, "Hey, where's Teddie? I noticed he didn't come with us when we went to Namatame's room."

"You think he'd be one of the ones lobbying for him to be…," Souji said, "But, he promised."

Chie took a deep breath and responded, "You're right… That's weird." She still had to fight back the tears though, "I figured he wouldn't move from Nanako-chan's side."

Yukiko wondered out loud as she took her own deep breath, "Teddie… where did you go?"

Yosuke said, "Oh yeah, he has a cell with him… Wait, I shouldn't use mine inside the hospital. I'll try calling him up once we are outside."

They left Nanako to get some rest. Yukiko and Souji were hand-in-hand the whole way out. Souji could not be happier that his little sis was alive, and Yukiko felt the same that Nanako-chan was still with them. The whole group felt likewise about Nanako-chan's fate, but Souji's happiness was unmatched.

---

Inside Namatame's room,

Namatame was resting in his hospital bed and the police guard was dozing off as well.

"Couldn't save… I couldn't save…," Namatame was muttering in his sleep, "Why? Mayumi… and that girl, too… I couldn't save them."

The guard awoke and said to the suspect, "Mm? What's the matter, feeling guilty all of a sudden? Sheesh…" The guard went back to sleep.

---

The group had walked out of the hospital, and into the Shopping District. Souji was cold. He envied Rion's choice of sweatshirts. Souji wanted to steal it. Maybe he could guilt trip Rion into it by the fact that Souji's cousin almost died, but that'd be mean of him, he guessed.

Yosuke had tried to call Teddie again. "I can't reach him. Did that stupid bear forget to charge his battery?"

Chie said to Yosuke, "We took a quick look around the hospital, but there was no sign of him. I wonder where he went."

As they were pondering the whereabouts of the pedobear, white flakes began falling on the Persona-users heads. It barely cut through the yellow fog.

"Oh… It's snow," Yukiko exclaimed in surprise.

"Hey, you're right… Wow, it's been a long time since I've last saw real snow," Rise said. She thought, "That's what I get for being a model." She continued saying, "It doesn't look that pretty, though, because of the fog."

Chie proclaimed, "I guess this makes it the first snow of the year." "I just wish the fog wasn't here," she thought. She also said, "Brr… I'm freezing! Let's go home." She grabbed Yosuke's hand so she could have him take her home, but not before she said, "If you find Teddie, make sure you contact us, okay?"

"I know…, will do," Yosuke said, "We're meeting at the special headquarters tomorrow, right?"

Souji nodded, "Right after lunch…"

Yosuke, Yukiko, Chie, and Souji stuck around while Naoto, Rion, Kanji, and Rise left. Souji noticed that Rion was walking faster than Naoto.

Yosuke said to Souji, "Man, that Ted… I hope he just went back home by himself."

Souji nodded, "He doesn't know the good news." Souji thought Teddie would be ecstatic to hear it.

"I know what you mean," Yosuke chuckled, but he said, "He's probably fine, but I'll hurry home, just in case. See ya!"

"Bye…," Souji responded.

---

Souji had walked Yukiko to the bus stop in the Southern area of the Shopping District, and they were waiting for the final bus of the day to take her to the inn. It was a short walk, but any walk with Yukiko was precious to Souji. Especially since Souji was on a new high after what happened tonight. He felt like he was on mood swings. Souji was cheerful when they were going to pick out a kotatsu, then worried for Nanako, then devastated when she had "died", then angry and pissed at Namatame, and finally overjoyed at seeing Nanako alive again. Finishing off with a walk with Yukiko was just a bonus that Souji could not pass up.

"I'm so happy…," Yukiko told Souji, "I thought we lost her tonight. I don't want to experience that ever again." "If I ever had something like that happen to you," Yukiko thought, "I'd die…"

"You have no idea…," Souji responded. If Souji had lost Nanako… Souji would have lost part of himself.

"I think… this could have destroyed our group…," Yukiko said, "Especially since this fog is still here, who knows what this could have done to us."

Souji nodded, "Yeah… I don't think we wanted to have had a common bond of sadness." "I don't know... our group may already be losing its grasp. I'm seeing problems that I don't want to see," Souji thought as he saw Rion and Naoto not exactly leaving together. That could be a problem.

"I was scared, during what happened in Namatame's room," Yukiko told him, "But, you were much stronger than me. I could not even stop Yosuke."

"I guess… I wonder if it right to stop them, but I felt it was the right choice. I'm sure you would have done the same," Souji smiled as he said that. "If only it were that easy to say those things to them," Souji thought, "It took everything I had to make them shut up and listen to me."

Yukiko smiled back at him she explained, "I only wish I had your strength. Of course it was the right decision. You had my support, Chie's support, Rise's, and even Rion's. They wouldn't have let Yosuke and Kanji thrown him in."

Souji thought about it, "Would they have really stopped those two? Could they, or would they be too scared to have stopped them from throwing Namatame into the TV based on what Yosuke, Kanji, and Naoto saw on the Midnight Channel?" "I guess you're right," Souji nodded, "If they tried, they would have had to go through at least two of us."

"Yeah…," Yukiko nodded back, "It's a good thing that everyone is together again and we have a common goal to try and find out the truth."

"I hope we find Teddie," Souji added.

"Yeah…," Yukiko said.

Yukiko laid her head against his shoulder, waiting for the bus to come. Even after this horrifying crisis, nothing would separate them. Souji's arm surrounded Yukiko's waist. He never wanted that bus to come. When it finally did, a disappointment to the pair… They shared a short, but beautiful kiss before letting her leave.

---

(I have to end at least with at least one more angst-ridden Naoto and Rion scene)

Naoto knew of Rion's temper, and she had figured out something. If you don't understand a situation, and you treat him badly when he tries to help you, he'll get annoyed. Rion had tried to calm her down when "Namatame's Shadow" or whatever showed on the TV, and freaked out everyone. She ignored him, and stared him down.

Naoto ran up to the man that was walking faster than her, and told him, "I'm sorry… I just wasn't thinking. We just all thought…"

Rion sighed, "You don't think… Don't tell me you ever thought of Namatame as the murderer!? " His final words came out rather viciously, and drove Naoto back.

"What!? You mean… you never thought he was? Then why, were you so dead set with us on capturing them?" Naoto asked. She was scared of Rion's temper. They had only gotten into one fight before, and it was worse than any fight Chie and Yosuke had participated in. Naoto wished she was not as volatile.

Rion explained, "Didn't you understand my Shadow? I just wanted to stop the kidnapper before they took someone like Nanako-chan again."

Naoto thought of the Shadow that spoke of Rion's indecisiveness, the one who never gave input, and blindly followed the others' path.

"By the time I get a chance to explain the truth," Rion continued, "Yosuke has already had his chances to explain the meaning of life, six times over, incorrectly. Do you really think that you truly wanted to become a man?"

"But… then why didn't you go to the police, at least Dojima-san and present your knowledge?" Naoto asked. Naoto thought about his last statement, "Could he be referring to the Midnight Channel…?" she thought to herself.

"The police!?" Rion muttered, "Give me a break… Anyone with a badge is as stubborn as a rock, and it's impossible to change their views on anything." He stared at her before leaving her behind.

"Fine!" Naoto yelled at Rion's retreating back, "Then… Go screw Rise-chan!" She didn't really mean it, but she was angry at him degrading her. Rise was still buddy, buddy with Rion regardless. She was jealous of their friendship.

---

She remembered what he had said to her last time, "Tch… I'm sick of having to deal with your grandfather. He accepts me, but does not trust me as far as his sword goes up my ass. He even threatened to send his Russian grand-niece after me with her long sword if I displeased him. Who the hell does that?"

She remembered the times he would let Naoto sit on his knees and let her lay back against his chest for hours at a time as she fell asleep. She never told her grampa about any of that.

---

Naoto found Rion sitting on a rock near her home in the Residential District with his head down. Rion looked nearly as depressed as he was when he thought Nanako-chan had died.

"Rion-kun…," Naoto looked at him, "This isn't about us, is it? It's nothing related to relationships or the such"

Rion shook his head as he said softly, "I never told you… that I've figured out what killed my parents. The police and detectives never were able to figure it out… because…"

"We're worthless…," Naoto finished with a glare reserved for him.

"They left at 11 p.m. and were supposed to return at 12 a.m. I'm not sure how it worked around two years ago, but I've come to one conclusion based on my memory loss," Rion sighed, "Shadows…"

Naoto looked at the fragile boy and said softly, "Rion-kun…" She came down to his level, "I don't think that's it…" She removed her hat and hugged him tight. Rion slowly returned the hug. She told him, "I didn't tell my grampa when I'm returning. So, we can stay for a little while if you need a hug." She didn't move from this spot.

* * *

(Okay, I added extra fluff at the end, and some extra angst because I wanted to add some extra substance to this chapter. I want to draw this story out some and flesh out the characters. If you dislike it, tell me through a review, and I'll promptly butcher the relationships through one or two lines in an unprofessional fashion. Most of it is a setup for the epilogue that's being planned.)


	24. Chapter 24

The Novelization of Persona 4- Chapter 24

Okay… I own nothing… really, nothing. SMT and Persona is owned by Atlus.

We're on Chapter 24? Really? Where do all the words go? Into my carpal tunnel… they do. Well… we're getting pretty close to the end as they'll be moving towards the truth. I'm making my character a bit of a jerk in this chapter, because most of them act rather stupid spending time figuring out just about nothing.

People seem to be wondering why we get side-tracked on angst. Well, we only get two categories, and romance fits too well when you add it in.

The walls of text from Namatame... well yeah.

* * *

As Souji was walking back from taking Yukiko to the bus stop, he noticed his cell phone was flashing. He had gotten text messages from friends while he was worrying about Nanako.

He was quite surprised about the number of people who actually texted him, and the nice, caring messages they sent. Kou and Daisuke sent him messages. Kou was much more composed and well-written, but that was to be expected. Ai sent him a message of concern about his cousin; he was a bit surprised about that. Even Miss Emo, the drama queen, literally, sent Souji some form of a sympathetic response worrying about his "little sis". Souji was touched.

"I sure have friends here," Souji thought, "Who would have thought?"

Souji rubbed his arms through his jacket. He was getting cold. He hurried home to his empty residence. They needed to find Teddie, and had to figure out what to do with Namatame. Tomorrow… would suck.

Souji cursed himself… he had ended up in the Velvet Room again. "Why me?" Souji thought.

"Welcome. It has been quite some time. Do not be alarmed. You are fast asleep in the real world," Igor said as he gestured from his plush seat.

"Ya think?" Souji muttered from his mind, "I wonder if that could change somehow from the first to the millionth time I've been here while I'm sleeping?"

Meanwhile, Igor had continued, "I have summoned you within your dreams. Now then… your journey has taken you quite a distance so far. Do you believe you'll be able to successfully solve this mystery?"

Souji thought about it. He had possibly the two smartest people in the town with him, and himself. He felt as Adachi would say he was "a pretty sharp cookie." He just had to hope that Naoto and Rion would stay together until the end. So, he told Igor, "I can solve it."

"Splendid…," the long-nosed guy who made the fusions happen responded. He continued, "The precise destination of this vehicle… That, too, is getting rather hard to judge. If we continue driving blindly, we may end up leading you farther away from the mystery that you must reach. Well…? Why don't we take a moment to look back on your journey? It was for that purpose that I summoned you here tonight."

"Okay," Souji responded.

"Margaret," Igor told the beautiful girl sitting next to him. She nodded to the ugly fellow and Souji suddenly started hearing voices. He wondered if he should go to a psychiatrist, but decided against it.

Igor told him, "We are experiencing the words engraved into your memory during your journey."

Souji first heard Yosuke's voice, "Alright, Let's go ahead and think through this as much as we need."

"If only you and I would," Souji thought, "I pray that you do."

Kanji was next, "If we leave any unanswered questions behind, we'll just be lying to ourselves."

"Of course, we'll just have to find the truth ourselves," Souji thought.

"I'll think as hard as I can, and try to help," Rise said.

"I'll be counting on you," Souji thought. She was good for a smile.

Chie was the next to talk, "C'mon, we've accomplished this much together, haven't we?"

"There's no reason why we can't do this together," Souji thought.

Yukiko was next, "Right… Together."

"I'll be there… I can accomplish anything… if you're there," Souji thought.

Naoto and Rion were together saying, "The answer to this problem is simple, but we should do it together."

"I know…," Souji thought, "I need you guys."

Igor went on to say, "And it seems you have comrades with you as well… Those heading in the same direction through this dense fog."

Souji started hearing more voices. He heard Kou and Daisuke's voices of encouragement. He heard Ai and Yumi talk to him and give Souji support. He was surprised by the hidden friendship they had for him.

They car thingy that the Velvet Room supposedly was had suddenly stopped, and Igor had to hold onto his chair from being thrown off.

Margaret said to Souji, "We'll be parked for the moment while I confirm our current heading."

Igor told Souji, "As I mentioned previously, this year signaled a great change in your life. Though there isn't much time left, it can be worth your while to take the time to stop and reflect."

Margaret added, "People are like water flowing in a river. There is only one stream, but all who pass through it are affected differently. Some travel fast, some change course… Experiencing countless events as they travel down the river of time."

"I didn't know she was a Taoist," Souji thought.

"Just so…," Igor said, "The state of this room reflects the scenery of your heart."

"So, I want a car?" Souji thought.

Igor continued, "Perhaps this is a time for contemplation rather than action." As this was said, he was thankfully kicked out of the Velvet Room.

Souji was roughly awoken by a doorbell. He quickly threw on clothes to see who was at the door. He grabbed some random piece of a grain dish, threw it in his mouth, and answered the door. It was Yosuke. "Great…," Souji thought, "Did he have to wake me at 8:00 a.m.?"

Yosuke looked worried as he said, "Teddie's missing!"

Souji shook his head, "Great…" "Where did the idiot bear get to?" he thought.

"I looked all over the neighborhood, but I couldn't find him anywhere," Yosuke explained.

"This is troublesome," Souji said.

"Yeah, I agree. He's been acting weird lately," Yosuke nodded. He told Souji, "Rise and the others are checking inside the TV to see if he's gone back to the other side."

"So, are we going to Junes?" Souji asked.

"Yeah…," Yosuke responded.

"Let's go," Souji said.

Everyone except Kanji, Rion, and Rise were at Junes discussing where Teddie might be. The pair had arrived a short while later after they searched for him in the TV.

Kanji sighed and said to Souji who sitting next to Yukiko, "It's no use, man. We can't find him."

"No luck for me either," Rise said sadly, "I didn't sense anything over there. The fog's so dense, it might be affecting my readings." She put her head down, "I wish I could do better… I'm sorry."

"You're fine, Rise-chan…," Rion said as he took a seat next to Naoto, "It's more like shooting through tofu with that fog."

Rise smiled at Rion, a look that didn't go unnoticed by Naoto, or Souji for that matter.

Yosuke shook his head as he said, "That Ted… Don't tell me really went back to his world this time."

"I hope not," Souji said, "We need him here."

Yosuke said, "We told him over and over that he could that he could stay here."

"But… if he still thinks that Nanako is gone," Souji shook his head, "Let's think about this."

"That's what we need to do, right?" Yosuke guessed, "He plays dumb a lot, but he's attached to us deep down… He wouldn't disappear without saying anything to us, right?"

"That seems reasonable," Rion nodded.

Naoto looked at Souji, and then at Rion as she said, "I'm worried for Teddie myself, but let's trust in him and await for his return. Right now, let's concentrate on the case."

"I can't hurt him again," she thought. Her grandfather had questioned her on why she was out so late, but she used Nanako-chan for an excuse. The second part of why she was out so late, just wouldn't work as an excuse, not for her grampa. How do you explain that you spent an hour holding your boyfriend because he believed Shadows killed his parents?

She shook her head, "It won't be long before Namatame is transferred to another location. We must hurry, or we will miss our only chance to get his perspective on this."

Yosuke crossed his arms and said, "Y'know, I've been thinking about the case, since, but something just doesn't seem right…"

"Now it hits you," Rion thought. Souji saw his trademark pushing up his glasses, which means at least for one person in the group, "What the hell is wrong with you?" and Souji chuckled.

"Let's quickly review the facts," Naoto said. She started off with, "Of all the victims, only two were killed: Ms. Yamano, the announcer, and Saki-san. From the documents we found in the car we know that Namatame had some sort of dealings with them. After that, there were multiple attempted murders, in which we were targeted. It was only when he took Nanako-chan that we caught him in the act, indentifying his modus operandi in the process."

Kanji responded, "When I hear you put it like that, sounds like the dude's guilty."

"Listen, Kanji…," Souji said, gesturing for Naoto to keep talking.

Naoto continued, "As a result of Namatame's arrest, the police admitted that Mitsuo Kubo was a mere copycat killer."

Yosuke gestured to Naoto, "Back up to yesterday… Remember when you said Namatame didn't have a motive to kill the announcer? That's what's bothering me."

Rise said in response, "Right… Either he's completely nuts, or we're misunderstanding something."

Kanji looked confused, "You lost me…"

Rion sighed and pushed up his glasses. Souji fought the urge to burst out laughing.

Yukiko explained to Kanji, "She's trying to say that if Namatame is sane, that there may be facts in the case we don't know about yet."

"Sane or insane… Sounds like a play I saw before," Rise said.

"Just about half of the Shakespeare tragedies are about people losing their identity, and in the process, their sanity," Rion said, "Why is this any different?"

Souji fought back a laugh as he thought, "So… are we insane? Rion probably thinks we are, him included."

"When he talks about "saving" people, what does that actually mean?" Yosuke asked.

"It has to include throwing people in the TV after kidnapping them… us included," Souji said with a shrug.

Naoto put her head down and asked, "Could he mean… saving them through death? He did call himself a "savior" and said that the other side is a "wonderful world"."

"So, they'll be saved if they'll die?" Kanji muttered to them, "What a bunch of crap… The bastard shoulda have gone and "saved" himself." He looked at Souji, "Whaddya think, Senpai?"

"There's something else," Souji said. It just didn't sit right with him. It was obvious that Rion had something to say.

"If you think about it normally, it's gotta be him. But there ain't nothing normal about that world anyways…," Kanji said.

Rion pushed up his glasses and said, "Can I speak now?" They all looked at him in suprise, "This everything about Namatame saying it was a "wonderful world." That was his Shadow saying it. The real Namatame was confused. When he came into Heaven, he found it be as much as Hell as you did with the Shadows. It was no "wonderful world". He wanted to save her, not kill her."

"There's something I've been wondering about for a while," Yukiko put forth after Rion talked, "When we first encountered him, he said… "You're the ones I saved… Don't worry, I'll save this girl too." To reiterate what Rion is thinking, if he "saves" people by killing them, did he save us too?"

"He would have failed in saving you," Souji finished.

Naoto looked at all three of them, "You raise a good point. If he thinks that salvation comes only through death, his words to us make no sense." She stared straight at Rion, "And another thing… The Namatame who appeared on the Midnight Channel said he failed to save Nanako-chan."

Chie said, "Well, maybe he really is trying to save the victims by putting them inside the TV."

Most of the group looked like Chie said something amazing as Chie said, "C'mon, don't get all quiet like that. You guys know I just say the first dumb thing that pops into my head. Haha…"

Naoto just said, "The possibility that he truly intended to save us."

"But he's still the one who threw in Saki-senpai and the announcer, right?" Yosuke said. He seemed adamant not to let this go, "Sure, we haven't nailed down his motives, but that doesn't change the fact that he killed them." Rion just pushed up his glasses, causing an indentation on the ridge of his nose. It seemed like Rion was losing his patience with him, and Souji was too. "Or what, you think someone else is involved? What makes you think so?"

Rion said, shaking his head, "Hard evidence is not going to pop out in front of us here. But there is one fact, and one piece of evidence that does not point towards Namatame."

Souji knew that fact so he thought of what might work. He shook his head of everything that had happened, "The diary points at Namatame, and the alibi doesn't work either. The copycat muder is irrelevant. So…," he was thinking. It popped into his head. Souji told them all of a sudden, "The warning letters that I received. It just doesn't fit with Namatame."

Yosuke responded, "Warning letter…? Oh yeah… Whatever happened to that thing?"

Chie said, "If Namatame's the killer, he must've been the one who wrote it, right?"

"Let's review them," Naoto said.

"The first one said… **dont rescue anymore**," Souji told them, "The second one said… **If you dont stop this time, someone close to you will be put in and killed**."

"Yes, that's right," Naoto said.

"Isn't that kinda odd?" Rise asked. She continued, "Would someone who thinks he's saving people by killing them write stuff like "don't rescue" or "kill"?"

"Finally, someone gets it," Rion thought.

Kanji nodded, "Yeah, and the "will be put in and killed" part doesn't make sense either. If the killer was writing it, wouldn't it be more like "I'll put in and kill"?"

Chie looked at the group and asked, "Hey… could this mean?"

"Namatame did not write it," Souji answered.

"Yeah…," Chie said, "It's almost like… someone else wrote this letter."

Yukiko added from her side of the table, "But only the killer would write such a letter and deliver it to Dojima-san's house, right? If someone else wrote it, that could only mean…"

"Dear god…," Naoto exclaimed, "Since this was such an unusual case, I was absolutely convinced that other than the Kubo incident, there was one culprit." She thought, "No wonder Rion does not trust the police... or me to get anything right." She sighed.

"So Namatame really was trying to save his victims?" Rise asked.

"Well isn't it just opposite day," Souji thought. He said, "That's the idea."

Naoto answered, "Everything is exactly the opposite of what it first seemed. In Namatame's parlance, "failing" would have been the first two cases, when the victims died. If he had used his method twice, and failed both times, he would have hardly have continued using the TV. And yet he did." She finished by saying, "It all seems to suggest that someone else wrote those warning letters while observing the entire case."

Yosuke gestured, "Someone else… Then… It wasn't Namatame who killed Saki-senpai and the announcer!?"

"We can't say for certain yet," Naoto said, "We urgently need to speak with Namatame face to face."

"We won't have much time," Rion said, "They'll be tightening security, and after the attempt to escape and the attempt on his life; they'll have to be moving him."

"I have a plan," Naoto explained, "He's right. We need to go to the hospital immediately."

"Okay, let's go," Souji said as they made their way to the hospital were they all nearly threw Namatame in only one night before.

Naoto's plan was simple enough. Raise hell in the lobby, while Naoto gains entry with Souji with her detective status.

As Souji and Naoto walked up to the guard in the surgical ward, he came forward and told them, "Hey, this place is off-limits."

Naoto responded, "I'm a consultant with the police. I'd like a few words with Namatame-san. May I go in?" She flashed her badge. It was becoming useful in this hospital. Of course, the last time she used it was to break visiting hours to visit Rion.

The guard checked the ID and radioed in, "This is Unit 252 requesting confirmation of an ID… Name of Naoto Shirogane… Huh? Ah, understood. I see." He looked at the detective and said, "Well, you're on the list. I can give you a few minutes, but I'll have to record your conversation for security purposes. Not that I expect you to get anything coherent out of him. He's been spouting nothing but gibberish."

Naoto looked at Souji, then at the guard before she said, "I'd like him to accompany me as well. He has no identification, but this is an emergency situation and he's here in Detective Dojima's stead."

The policeman was confused, "Huh? Detective Dojima sent him? I wasn't informed of this?"

Naoto gestured, "I'll vouch for his identity." Souji just nodded. He was told by Naoto to let her do the talking.

The guard shook his head, "Well, I guess it's better than dealing with the man himself…" He looked like he had prior dealings with Detective Dojima, and they weren't pleasant, "We have our hands full with the transport procedures, so the last thing we need is Detective Dojima running wild. Detective Adachi is busy somewhere too."

The policeman's radio went off, "This is Unit 252. Huh? I see."

"Has something happened?" Naoto asked inquisitively.

"Something about a suspicious object in the lobby," the guard told her.

"Ah, well then, this works out nicely," she responded, "You should back up your colleagues downstairs. We'll keep watch over Namatame-san. A disturbance in the hospital lobby, after all… It sounds serious."

The guard nodded, "If anything happens, hit the nurse call button. I'll leave the rest to you."

"Understood," Naoto responded, "Please be careful." The guard ran off at these words.

"Well, that was simple enough," Souji said to her.

"I knew they were undermanned, but I didn't expect it to go this smoothly," Naoto responded.

The rest of the group ran up, with Rion bringing up the rear. He was the one who had set up the disturbance with a few of Naoto's detective tools.

"Wow…," Chie said as she was the first to arrive.

"There's nothing much inside that "suspicious object"", Naoto said, "So he won't be gone long."

"Here's our chance to talk to him, so let's make the most of it," Souji said.

They walked into the room for the second time in twenty-four hours. Namatame was lying in the bed this time, staring at the window. Was he wishing he was outside, and free? Souji didn't know. They all wondered a lot of things as they made their way over to him, but they needed answers today.

Rion told them flat out before they got there that he was leaving this up to them. They could ask all the questions. Souji was kind of glad that he would get free rein, but he would probably ask Rion afterwards if he could fill in the gaps of anything he missed.

Naoto was the first to talk, "Namatame-san. There's something we'd like to ask you."

Namatame seemed distant, like he was still scared to death.

Naoto continued, "It's tempting to think that you were the culprit behind this entire case. And to be honest… there are many in this town who hope you are. But we are here to learn the truth. So please… Answer our questions."

Namatame finally looked at them with a different expression than before.

Souji decided this was the time to start asking questions. He asked, "Is "saving" killing people?"

Namatame shook his head, "No… If nobody saves them, they'll be killed. That's why… I put them in there."

"Well, that's what we thought," Souji thought. He asked next, "Did you kill Saki Konishi and Mayumi Yamano?"

Namatame shook his head again, "They were killed. I couldn't save them."

"Well, another idea confirmed," Souji thought. His final original question that Souji decided to ask, "Who did you throw in first?"

Namatame pointed at Yukiko.

Yukiko looked shocked, "Huh? Me?"

Namatame nodded.

Yukiko didn't know what to say.

Naoto took over, "Then tell me if my estimation is correct so far. After discovering the Yamano and Konishi incidents, you realized an appearance on the Midnight Channel meant certain death. Thus, to "save" her from that fate, you kidnapped Yukiko Amagi. You couldn't let her be killed, so you threw into the TV, preventing the killer in this world from reaching her. And you repeated the process, as more individuals appeared on the Midnight Channel." Naoto looked at them, "It all falls into place. His body is weak, but his mind is sound. He's trying to tell us the truth."

Yosuke said to her, "Yeah, but if the stuff he's saying is true."

Rise finished, "There's another killer who murdered the first two victims?"

Rion muttered, "By throwing them in a TV, no less…"

Naoto looked back at Namatame, "Indulge us in a few more questions."

Souji wracked his brain for more questions to ask Namatame while he had the chance, his only chance. "Why did you enter the TV?" was his question.

"I didn't know… I never thought… it would be that kind of place," Namatame explained.

Naoto looked at Rion. It was exactly what Rion said. Rion had just pushed his glasses in response.

Souji asked another question, "Why did you send the warning letters?" It seemed that would just confirm any doubts.

"What are you talking about?" Namatame looked confused.

Souji shook his head. Namatame didn't send them. Maybe he knew who killed them, "Who killed Saki Konishi and Mayumi Yamano?"

Namatame put his head down, "I have no idea. I want to know that too."

Naoto said, "As I thought"

Namatame put his head up and said, "You… believe me!?" He suddenly got excited, "Did they find him!? Did they find the one who would do such cruel things!?" He got sad again, "M… Mayumi…"

Naoto tried to work with Namatame as she said, "Please calm down. Our ability to find the culprit rests on you. We know about the other world. In fact, we're the only ones who can fully understand what you have to say."

Namatame picked up his head and asked, "Only… you…?"

Yosuke explained, "We did blame you for everything at first. But now, I think we can accept whatever you got to tell us… as truth."

"A complete reversal from about 12 hours ago," Souji thought.

"Please…," Naoto said, "Tell us everything you can… Calmly and slowly."

"You're willing to listen to my story?" Namatame asked.

"Yes…," Souji said, "We need to if we are going to find the killer."

Namatame sighed and took a deep breath as he began his story. "All right."

---

Cut to a scene to a room with a table and a TV in the off position. Namatame is drinking a beer. The room is cluttered with books and random clothes scattered about.

Soon after my affair with Mayumi became common knowledge… I returned to my parents' home, as if to run away from the scandal. And I started drinking heavily to drown my anxieties. I hadn't been able to reach Mayumi at all, and that didn't help either.

"Mayumi, where are you?"

She'd been disgraced on all the afternoon shows and forced to resign from the program she was on. I caused her so much trouble. I wanted to at least apologize to her, but I couldn't even do that. I lost the will and energy to do anything. Then one day, the rumor I heard some time ago came back to me. Since I had nothing better to do, I sat down blankly in front of the TV and watched my own reflection.

Yellow screen comes on… Namatame stands up.

And all of a sudden, there was Mayumi.

"Mayumi, is that you?"

The Mayumi inside the TV looked as if she was calling to me for help.

Namatame runs up to the TV.

"Mayumi… Mayumi!"

When I reached out unthinkingly to touch her… My arm disappeared into the TV… as if I had dipped it into a pool of water. I was so shocked that I lost my balance and nearly fell face-first into the TV.

---

Return to reality

Namatame said, "I was so scared… I couldn't understand what had happened. I thought maybe I'd gone insane. In the end, I decided to think of it as just a dream, and I went back to the city the next day after finishing work. The next afternoon, when I got to work… I was fired on the spot, as I expected. That wasn't what broke me, though." Namatame hugged himself tightly, and looking down. "It was Mayumi being found dead. And not just that, but it had happened in my hometown. I was dumbstruck, but later on… I remembered the image of Mayumi I had seen that night. "Was it not a dream? Could it really have been an SOS from Mayumi?" I hadn't touched another TV, because the first time was so terrifying, but I decided to try it again. And I confirmed that it was not a dream. So that image… Was it something Mayumi showed me, calling for help? That's how I felt…" Namatame felt worn out.

Naoto entered with her own words, "And eventually… you learned of the Midnight Channel."

Namatame raised his head and said, "I remember that when Mayumi was alive, she was chasing a rumor about some bizarre TV program. I'd heard about it before, but I thought it was just an urban legend. But then Mayumi appeared on it, and later turned up dead. The more I thought about it, the harder it became for me to believe that the two events were unrelated. Soon after that, I returned to Inaba to answer the police's questions. I'd lost my job, and I wanted to know the truth of Mayumi's death for myself. Then, on another rainy night, someone else appeared on the Midnight Channel. It was a girl. She looked like she was calling for help, just like Mayumi. The first thing that came into my mind was, "Maybe this girl will be the next to die.""

Of course Yosuke spoke next about his former crush, "And that was Saki-senpai." Chie gave Yosuke a sympathetic look and grasped his hand, which he took.

Namatame continued, "I'd been following all the news about Mayumi, so I noticed right away that she was the girl who found Mayumi's body. And if my hunch was right, she'd be the next victim. I didn't want her to die the way Mayumi did. So I desperately kept watching… I was consumed with the idea of rescuing her. Then… little by little, her image on the screen came into sharper focus."

"It became sharper?" Chie asked. She was confused. It hadn't happened for her when she viewed it.

Yosuke sighed and asked, "How did you find out it was her?"

Namatame explained, "After I came back, my father couldn't bear to see me in such low spirits, and gave me a job in the family business. I met that girl when I delivered a package to the liquor store."

---

Floodplains, around where Rion met with both Naoto and Rise at various times…

Namatame is trying to explain something to Saki Konishi.

After agonizing over it, I decided to meet her… and told her to be careful.

Saki walked off, seemingly undaunted, and Namatame chases after her.

---

In front of the same TV again, Namatame is on the phone…

But that same night, on the TV… She looked as if she was being engulfed by some black shape… She was writhing in pain…

"That's why I warned her! Why won't she pick up the phone!? Come on! Please!"

---

Back to reality again,

"The next day, they found her dead," Namatame explained.

Yosuke sighed and shook his head.

"I knew she was gonna be murdered, but I couldn't save her," Namatame lamented, "I blamed myself, thinking there must have been something I could have done."

Namatame raised his head, "There was no one who depended on me. Nobody at work… not even my wife. Mayumi was the only one who accepted me for who I was. But she was murdered, and the same person killed another girl."

Namatame raised his voice slightly, "I was… I was beside myself… I couldn't forgive myself for doing nothing!"

"You really did love Ms. Yamano," Chie said sympathetically.

He looked at her and said, "Yes, from the bottom of my heart. Before I was married, my wife made it big in show business. I was happy for her, but it put a strain on our relationship."

"I think I can kinda relate," Rise said, and Souji rolled his eyes. He wondered if anyone else was doing the same thing right now.

Namatame continued, "It was around that time that I met Mayumi. She was interviewing our candidate for the next election. She was a big-name announcer, but she only worked for the local stations, and her attitude for work was similar to mine. We both came from Inaba… so she was easy to talk to… I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't help getting intimate with her." He said sadly, "She gave meaning to my life." He put his head down again, "Soon after Saki-san was found dead, yet another girl appeared on TV."

As Namatame pointed at Yukiko, Souji grasped her hand, "That… was you."

---

Back to in front of the TV, Namatame is standing.

"She'll be kidnapped next, and then murdered. I can't let her end up like Mayumi and that other girl. This time, I'm gonna do something."

My opponent was a murderer that left no clues to his identity. I thought hard about what I could do to protect her from someone like that. "I'll never convince her… If they get suspicious and arrest me, who'll save her then?"

The girl inside the TV looked as if she was smiling at me. And that's when it hit me. I apparently had the power to go through the TV screen to the other side. Then, what if I put her into the TV and give her shelter there before the killer gets her? "What are you trying to tell me!? That it's safe over there!? Is that it!?"

The girl inside the TV seemed to smile at me again. And I thought, no matter what kind of place it might be, it's better than being slaughtered. Once things calmed down, I could just let her out again.

"If she's inside the TV… There's no way they can find her."

It felt as if everything was starting to come together in my mind. Could it be… that Mayumi gave me this power, to prevent any more victims from meeting her fate? Was it my mission to save people? But there was a big problem. If I explained the situation to the victim, they wouldn't understand. I had already tried that and failed miserably. It seemed that the only thing I could do was to take them away. If that was my mission… I'd just have to do it. Or so I thought.

"Mayumi… Please lend me your strength."

---

Thankfully, back to reality

Yukiko started the conversation after that, "So, since you thought who appeared on the Midnight Channel would be killed, you kidnapped us in order to save us."

Chie said with overtones of anger, "Mission!? Give me a break! You never stop and wondered about any of this!?"

Namatame tried to explain, "I thought I was the only who could help them. I did call the police, but they didn't believe me. I knew the area well, thanks to my job. I had a large truck, and I could move around without suspicion. I thought my job as a deliveryman would be the perfect cover for my mission. I thought no one else could do it." He looked at them, "But… are you telling me that I wasn't saving them?"

Naoto explained, "If a person is still within the TV world when the fog appears here, they will die. Beginning with Yukiko-san, the people you thought you were saving were, in fact, in mortal peril. It was my friends here who really saved them all."

"It's the exact method the real killer is using," Rion said, pushing his glasses into position.

"I had a feeling that was it," Namatame looked at the sheets, "When I went after that little girl and entered the TV myself… For the first time, I had some doubts about myself."

"You refer to Nanako-chan, correct?" Naoto inquired.

Namatame nodded, "The police were after me, so I had to get away. But I still felt that I needed to do everything I could to save that poor little girl. That's why I went in after her." He shook his head and explained, "But the TV world was completely different than I imagined. Such an abominable and grotesque place… I knew the three of you that I had "saved" had gone back to your normal lives, so I didn't realize how terrible that world was. I never knew… you couldn't even get out of that place on your own. I thought I was going insane. I probably did. And you know the rest. When I came to, I was lying in a hospital bed.

"Well, you were trying to save people from death in the end," Souji shrugged.

Namatame shook his head, "But I ended up doing just the opposite. What a fool! I always wanted to enter the world of politics, and become useful to society. But after losing my job and the woman I loved… all I had left was this power. I convinced myself that world was some sort of sanctuary. And I believed myself to be a hero."

Yosuke was speechless, well most of the others were as well. Souji thought, "This guy's been through the crapper. I can pity him."

Namatame continued, "I never doubted what I saw on TV… and believed everything was as I wanted it to be. I didn't think for myself at all. That's why I couldn't protect them." Namatame was about to break down, "I'm to blame for all of this."

Souji said, "It's over… There's nothing to say about the past."

Namatame looked at the leader and said, "I suppose so. But the things I've done are too serious to be brushed aside like that." He put his head down again, which had to be bad for his neck after a while, and said, "I have no intentions of running away from my crimes. I'm prepared to face the consequences. Kidnapping is already a serious crime. And on top of that, I put all those lives in danger." He shook his head, "I'm sorry."

Souji couldn't help but to feel sorry for him as well.

Naoto responded, "The Midnight Channel and the other world… You can hardly be blamed for failing to understand them properly. We must apologize to you as well. Had we let our emotions blind us to the truth, we would have piled all the responsibility on you."

Yosuke gestured, "I guess from your point of view… people did stop dying once you started "saving" people. The more you did it, the more you really believed you were really preventing their deaths."

"I'm… such a joke…," Namatame said. He told them, "I'm sorry. I'm getting a little tired."

Right as he said that, the rent a cop came barging in. He yelled, "Wha!? What are you all crammed in here for!?"

Naoto explained, "My apologies. We will be leaving now." They had turned to go.

Namatame stopped them from leaving, "Wait!" They turned back to him, "I beg you. Please find whoever's behind this. You children are the only ones who know about that world."

"That's the plan," Souji responded.

"Thank you," Namatame said.

Naoto said to Souji, "It's all clear now. He never committed any murders. It was another party who threw the first two victims into the TV."

"Get out of here!" the rent a cop yelled, "I told you, he's almost ready to be transported! We can't have anything else happen. I better not see you kids again."

They stopped by Nanako-chan's room afterwards.

Yukiko said by Souji's side, "Nanako-chan looks like she's in pain. She's fighting for dear life."

Chie said to the group, "This was the last place saw Teddie, right? He was so worried for her."

Kanji shook his head, "How can he flake out like this when we have to find the real killer?"

Naoto said, "The police consider the matter closed. We'll have to do all the investigation ourselves from now on. Let's revisit Saki-san and Ms. Yamano's incidents and see if we can turn up fresh details."

"It's been over six months," Chie said, "Wouldn't the trail be cold?"

"We can't give up, can we?" Souji explained, "We are the only ones who can do anything."

"You never know," Yosuke said, "People may remember things now that they've had so much time to think about it."

"Or they've forgotten about it completely," Rion muttered.

"We'll just have to talk to people tomorrow," Souji said. Yosuke looked at him. It looked like he'd be in charge of the damn thing again.

"We'll meet in the evening to discuss what we find, I guess," Souji finished.

Yukiko added, "I hope we can find out something about Teddie as well."

They all left the hospital, at least knowing there was someone else out there whacking people. Who? Souji didn't know… But, he wanted to find out. He just needed that one clue to give him the real killer. He was tired of being lead down false roads anyways. Besides, that Velvet Limo was probably going backwards by all the wrong people they'd captured. Souji guessed that tomorrow… would be just another day, if he dragged Rion along with him. Souji just started walking back with Yukiko, wondering what he could do to find the killer that couldn't be caught.

(I stopped here because writing Namatame's reminiscing is so annoying that it drives you insane. I am so tired from working with grading work and doing Anthro Finals of my own. We are finally close to where we need to be.)


	25. Chapter 25

Novelization of Persona 4 Chapter 25

I own nothing; I am nothing, and so on. Atlus owns it all. If you want to try to wrest it away, you can try, I guess. Good luck with that.

Okay, we're moving along eventually. You know who finally gets exposed and the great search and destroy mission will begin shortly. Oh one more thing, angst can continue more and more if I feel like it. It's the de facto 3rd category in this fic, after the 2nd category which has to show up somewhere. I think you're getting tired of it anyways, that and the ever-shifting romance. I know the 2nd category says romance, but I'll try to move the story along.

I'm sorry this took so long. Winter hiatus has slowed this down tremendously. It's still short too.

* * *

Yukiko did go with Souji back to temporary house for a little bit. Souji didn't mind. Why would he? Originally, the real reason she came with him was to try and maybe see if they could figure out who the killer might be on their own. Souji had some doubts about that.

They sat down on the couch on the 1st floor to talk after grabbing the only food that wasn't past its expiration date. Souji would need to go to Junes for a reason besides other than meeting at the headquarters. Souji shook his head. Souji felt he was courageous enough that he didn't need to eat anymore of that nasty crap like expired miso. He shuddered at that memory.

Souji's arm almost automatically went over and around Yukiko's shoulder as they started talking and Yukiko snuggled in close. Was it conducive for talking? Who knows? But it didn't matter to either of them.

"I'm not sure if anyone will be able to tell us something about the real killer," Yukiko said.

"Hopefully, somebody will have remembered something after all this time," Souji responded as Yukiko shifted in closer. Souji wasn't really sure about it as he thought, "Who would remember that much about those two cases that happened six months ago? Plus, the supposed killer has been caught."

"I just hope they haven't decided the case is over with," Yukiko said.

"My thoughts exactly," Souji replied. Her words had echoed his thoughts.

Souji and Yukiko discussed a few more things about the Namatame conversation as well before their conversation soon turned to the boy in blonde.

"Where do you think Teddie could have gotten to?" Souji asked.

"I don't know… I'm surprised he would even leave Nanako-chan's side, considering how he adores her," Yukiko said.

"He's such a pedo bear," Souji thought. "I know what you mean. He should be elated that Nanako is alive even if she's still fighting so hard," Souji sighed, "We need him here with us to solve this case."

"I agree with you," Yukiko nodded, "I hope we can find him soon."

"Me too," Souji said, "Soon."

Yukiko fell asleep under Souji's shoulder and he didn't dare move her. They stayed here like this for a while. Souji had an ominous feeling. Something like this could be the last time in a while that he could hold her like that without dread.

---

"Where is that stupid bear!?" Yosuke asked, looking around as he walked home, "This is getting ridiculous."

"I don't know…," Chie sounded exasperated, "What do you want me to do about it!?"

"Other than keep searching for him in the TV world, we may have to wait for him to just come back," Yosuke responded, "He can't stay away from us for too long. He misses too much."

They walked together until they had to part to reach their separate homes, which was rather disappointing for both of them. One short kiss later, they unlocked hands and left to contemplate how to find the killer.

---

Rion and Naoto were trying to figure how to hide Rion. Naoto's grandfather somehow figured out where Naoto was last night. And now Naoto's grandfather was sending Naoto's Russian cousin after him.

"This is bothersome," Rion muttered as he pushed his glasses up. "I don't feel like fighting off your family."

"You won't have to fight her," Naoto replied, "And don't you dare push up your glasses around me. I don't want to be considered an idiot by you. I know the police are dumb, I hope you don't believe all of us are."

"Of course not all of you are," Rion smiled, "You know, sometimes my glasses just slip."

"I'll believe it when they fall off," Naoto smiled back, "So, are you going to tell us the name of the killer?"

"I don't know who it is yet," Rion said truthfully.

"Wow… there's something you don't know," Naoto chuckled, as she took off her hat and placed it on his head. She pretended to push up invisible glasses.

"I should call you a jerk, but I don't mind," Rion smiled. He said to her, "I like you better without the hat." She smiled back for a moment before she steeled her face.

"I wish Rise wouldn't smile at you like that so much. She still loves you," Naoto said softly, "And you can't do anything about it."

"Thanks for that reminder," Rion said begrudgingly, "The worst part isn't when she smiles at me. It's when she starts crying."

"I didn't see that part of it," Naoto said. "This is a problem," she thought, "He can't let her go either."

Naoto shook her head. Her grampa had accepted Rion at first, but as soon as she started spending time with him… he became overly controlling. Maybe her grampa did not expect his granddaughter to fall in love when his grampa wanted her to become someone who loved being a detective again. What should she do?

---

They had December 5th off from school.

So, on that December 5th… Souji began his search of someone, someone who might know something about the true culprit. Unfortunately, as soon after his search into the Shopping District… he began using swears his parents never knew he used. Then again, he probably used them a million times since he started killing Shadows in the TV world. Regardless, these people were worthless when it came to finding the real culprit.

"Tch…," Souji thought, "What should I expect from people who either believe the case is over and done with or have completely forgotten there were murders in Inaba in the first place?"

When he asked "About those murders, do you remember anything about them?" he got responses like…

"The incident last spring? Did something happen? It was a big deal, wasn't it? I had almost forgotten about it, until you reminded me about it."

Souji just shook his head and thought, "Moron…" He had walked off.

"I can't expect to remember stuff about that long ago," another person said.

Souji muttered, "And that's what I was worried about."

"What'd you say?" the student asked a little menacingly, and Souji rushed off.

Another person was rambling about how the fog was Junes' fault in the Southern Shopping District and Yosuke knocked the guy out. Souji cheered him on. "Man, the fog makes me feel like we're in the TV," Yosuke said afterwards.

"I know what you mean, I can't find out anything about the killer," Souji said.

"We'll just have to step it up," Yosuke smirked. "We're so screwed," Yosuke was thinking.

Yukiko was wondering why the first murder had happened. She was worn out from asking people, and Souji could see why. People were completely useless.

Kanji was pissed off because when he tried to talk to people, they could not see him to talk to him.

Souji had walked to the North Shopping District

When he tried to ask Rise how she was faring some business guy came up to her and started asking her for an autograph and tried to ask her out. Of course, she had nothing good to report, and she had even tried asking about Teddie. She was surprised at his popularity. Was she… jealous?

"Why is this guy trying to ask Rise out? He's like 20-something. Pedophile…," Souji thought.

When Souji asked him about the case, "Didn't they find the killer and put a lid on the case?"

"Well…," Souji started saying.

"I'm busy talking to Risette, so scram!"

"Get lost pedophile!" Souji yelled. Rise was looking a bit uncomfortable.

"Shut up, little kid," the businessman responded.

Chie said to Souji when she finally squinted close enough to see him, "Even if somebody's been killed… everyone forgets so easily."

Souji responded. He had to put his grey glasses on, "Yeah… people are shallow."

"Rumors they hear are remembered for much longer. I wonder why?" She asked.

"I guess they're more interesting," Souji shrugged.

Souji had started asking if they had seen anyone else who was suspicious.

He mainly got answers that were, "Only Namatame, and he was captured, right?"

Also, ones such as, "No… not really, have you?"

There were old people Souji didn't expect to remember something from five minutes ago.

He even heard answers that he was the suspicious person. Souji had to hold back his urge to cut through another jacket of his. He hadn't done that since the beginning of November, a whole month.

At Junes, Naoto told him to retrace his steps. To find a commonality between the two victims… unfortunately, the answers he was getting didn't help his cause.

There was a person that said a person in the Shopping District could give him answers, but Souji checked the Floodplains first. He found his favorite brooder there. Rion was sitting on a bench, meditating.

"You're here, not asking questions, and contributing nothing to society," Souji told him jokingly.

"And here I was, about to achieve Enlightenment," Rion opened his eyes, smirking.

"Are you Buddhist or something?" Souji asked.

"Nope… by the way, these people are worthless. You're better off using common sense," Rion answered.

"You're probably right," Souji responded.

Souji just took what info he had gained from the student in Junes and went back to the Shopping District. So, he talked to her, "Oh that!"

She started spouting stuff about Saki Konishi and Namatame. "Great, more crap…," Souji muttered, "At least Namatame wasn't making advances on Saki."

Souji sighed. Rion was right, there was nothing of value. It was all worthless crap.

He called everyone, and they decided to meet at Aiya's to discuss what they found. Souji was not optimistic.

Chie, Rise, Kanji, and Yukiko were sitting at a table, while Naoto, Yosuke, and Souji were sitting along the front. Rion was just standing on the side at the wall.

Chie sighed, "I'm seriously pooped." She shook her head, "This stuff's a lot harder when you don't have a badge to flash." She stared at Naoto, who rolled her eyes, "I walked around all day and didn't hear anything good."

"It was the same for me," Yukiko put her head down.

"I have to agree with you there," Souji nodded, reminded of that pedophile.

"There was absolutely no talk about the case whatsoever, let alone the true culprit," Yukiko continued.

"Ditto for me," Rise said. She sighed, "Actually in my case, I kept getting bombarded with questions and couldn't get them on the main subject at all. The killer must have been pretty good to have pulled this off without being seen at all."

Souji thought, "I wonder why you couldn't get onto the main subject… You're Risette." "Did you even try, Rion?" he asked.

"Not really…," Rion replied from the corner, "As the others have already said, it would not have made a difference."

Yosuke shook his head as he asked the others, "What should we do?"

Chie thought for a second and then said, "Well… One steak bowl please!" she yelled at the chef.

Yosuke shook his head, "That's not what I meant…" He sighed, "But then again, I guess we might as well take a break. I'll have a crab and egg fried rice."

Kanji called out, "I'll have roast pork ramen with extra noodles."

The rest of them started ordering random dishes. Rion and Souji baited Aiya to create the Beef Bowl Challenge, and they went after it. They almost finished it. Souji was proud. He had beaten Rion in an eating contest. Yukiko and Naoto looked disgusted.

Chie started talking after they finished eating, "Now that our tummies are full… Let's share what we learned… Even if it wasn't much."

Souji started, "Well… most of the people I talked to didn't remember that there were murders or they think the case is long over. They think I'm suspicious or that Namatame is the suspicious one."

"So, to sum up," Chie said, "There really was no new information. The end?"

Rion closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them. He was thinking, "Someone who wouldn't be considered suspicious and knows the Dojimas?… Is it that obvious?"

Naoto started speaking, "The police had an unusually large number of officers in their initial investigation of the first two incidents. To find facts that even they overlooked would be difficult indeed, now that half a year has passed. There wasn't a single report of a suspicious person being witnessed to begin with. Ms. Yamano had ardent fans whereas Saki-san didn't, but otherwise the conditions are the same."

"Y'know, every time I tried to ask about the case, everyone ignored me and kept ranting about the damn fog," Kanji cut in.

Rise spoke next, "Yeah. That or the Midnight Channel. I asked around about Teddie too, but no one's seen him. I wonder where he could have gone."

Yosuke looked at Naoto and asked her, "Do you have anything, Naoto? Any new, uh… deductions?"

Naoto shook her head in disappointment, "Without any new data to work with, there isn't much I can do. But there must be someone in town who meets all the criteria for this case. The killer must have a connection to both Saki-san and Ms. Yamano. As well as be in a position to observe our actions periodically, to some extent." She turned to Souji, "Finally, it must be someone who could approach Souji-senpai's house without arousing suspicion."

"This can't be this obvious… can it?" Rion was thinking. He walked outside. Naoto saw him go as she sighed. "I need some fresh air before I give it more thought. I'll be outside too." She followed Rion out the door. Souji wondered if Rion had discovered something and she wanted his opinion.

Souji wiped his brow and pushed his hair back. He decided to go outside as well. Souji was thinking about something. "What fits both…?" He walked outside Aiya's door.

Rion was standing next to Naoto, who was looking at the sky. Rion's eyes were closed, like usual. Souji shook his arms and tried not to freeze to death.

Naoto looked at Souji and said to him, "It's snowing… No wonder it's chilly."

"That's December for you," Souji responded.

"Of course," Rion said. He pushed his glasses up.

Yosuke was the next to come outside. Souji shook his head. Was everyone going to come and freeze with him?

Yosuke held his arms across his chest, "Brr, it's freezing out here. Maybe this'll help my deductive muscles flexing."

"You have deductive muscles?" Rion joked. He pushed up his glasses, and Naoto pushed him.

"Shut up…," Yosuke responded. He looked up, "Hey is it snowing?" he asked.

Rion pushed up his glasses again, and Souji chuckled.

"Too bad the fog's so thick… The snow just gets lost in it."

Souji was trying to think of what was missed. What connected the two murders and the killer?

"What's the matter?" Yosuke asked.

"Well…," Souji said. He was thinking, "He knows about the TV world, and what we do. He knows about Namatame's doings, and he watched him too. There were no witnesses either and the warning letters sent to my house instead of anyone else's. So who is it?"

"Do you know who is it Rion?" Souji asked.

"I believe I have figured it out…," Rion looked at him, "It's my speculation to be the true culprit."

Souji put his head down. He wanted to be able to tell them the answer. It came to him. "The man who could walk up straight to the house and deliver a letter," he said, "Tohru Adachi. He can keep an eye on our actions. Adachi knows the area very well, obviously. We ran into him how many times while trying to investigate the case?"

Rion nodded in agreement.

"Adachi?" Yosuke asked in surprise.

"Detective Adachi," Naoto said slowly. "A member of the police force… That is an interesting approach. That would certainly explain the lack of witness reports. It's the same reason why no one even reported seeing Namatame's truck."

Yosuke added, "This is a small town, so everyone must've known who he is."

"He's a detective," Souji said, "He certainly would not be considered suspicious."

"In fact, he could use his position to his advantage and hide critical information," Naoto included.

"Such as information about Mitsuo," Rion said from the other side of Naoto.

"Well… if you think about it that way, I guess it's possible," Yosuke said but he looked at them incredulously, "But we're talking about Adachi here, right? I mean really, Adachi? He's your textbook lousy detective. Are we really on the right track here?"

"Actually, regarding Detective Adachi…," Naoto said, "I'm not sure how to put it, but there's something that's been bothering me about him for some time now."

Rion continued for her, "He's smarter than he looks. Adachi has been in the same place as us at the all right times to keep us off track. I think I know what's bothering Naoto." They'd been discussing the case together.

"Yeah? Hmm…," Yosuke looked at the pair.

Naoto said to them, "Perhaps it's just my imagination, so I shouldn't speak too…" She suddenly sneezed, "Achoo!" Rion put his arm over her shoulder. She was grateful for the warmth he brought.

Yosuke shivered, "Whew, it's cold! I think we've cooled down enough here. Let's go back inside.

The four of them walked back inside Aiya's to tell the others their deductions.

The four took the same positions as before. Souji told Rise, Chie, Kanji, and Yukiko that they thought it was Adachi.

"Adachi-san!?" Yukiko said incredulously. She continued, "That can't be… I mean, he said he came to escort Ms. Yamano and..." Souji and Naoto's eyes widened. Rion pushed up his glasses.

Rion thought to himself, "A connection to Yamano, a perfect chance to kill her."

"What!? Was he at your inn when the announcer was staying there?" Naoto asked.

Yukiko answered, "When Ms. Yamano was staying at our inn, the media were swarming all over it. That's when Adachi-san arrived, saying he had been assigned to guard her. He told our waitress that fame could be rough."

"What the hell?" Souji thought.

"Guard her?" Naoto asked quizzically, "He didn't spend the night there?"

"I wonder if he knew Ms. Yamano…," Chie said.

Kanji said from caddy-corner, "I don't know about that, but I heard he did call out to a girl in my class. I found out this afternoon."

"Since Kanji had no idea we'd be thinking it was Adachi…," Souji thought.

Kanji had continued, "But I thought, y'know, that's just how cops are, so I didn't think it had anything to do with the case."

Naoto explained, "Detective Adachi also questioned Saki-san, the one who found the announcer's body, on numerous occasions. I heard it was because there was so little information about the case at the time, but…"

Rion interrupted, "Why bother questioning someone like her multiple times when she obviously isn't the murderer?"

"Then you think he had something else on his mind?" Chie asked.

"And that "something" is what connects those two victims to Adachi-san?" Yosuke inquired. He said, "Come to think of it… We've been running into that guy a lot, in all sorts of places. And every time, he'd tell us what the police were doing before saying, "Oops, I said too much." and then clamming up. Was that all to throw us off the trail?"

"Of course it was," Rion sighed, "Since the police were so off track, he could easily drag us towards their path. No offense Naoto." He tilted his head towards her.

Rise said, "It would be no problem for him to drop that warning letter in your mailbox, either. Not to mention the fact it would no problem for him to destroy any evidence that might point to him."

"I think there is no shadow of a doubt that all of the things we have put forward lead all of our suspicions towards our defective," Souji proclaimed.

"Then… is it really Adachi-san?" Yukiko asked.

"It's him," Souji answered.

"This is still only a tentative theory. We should work to confirm it as soon as possible," Naoto told Souji as she turned to him.

Souji wasn't so sure, and he wondered if Naoto really thought so too. Considering even Rion thought he was the killer.

Naoto took out her phone and made a call, "This is Naoto Shirogane. Something has occurred to me about the case and I'd like to get Detective Adachi's input about it." She suddenly looked very surprised, "Huh? The transport? It's right now!?" She regained her composure, "Right… I… I see. Thank you!" She closed her phone.

Chie asked Naoto, "What was that about a transport!?"

Naoto stood up and said, "Detective Adachi is headed to the hospital right now to prepare for Namatame's relocation and transfer." Rion sighed as Naoto continued, "We must head there at once!"

They headed quickly over towards the hospital. Souji wondered what to say to the defective when they reached Inaba Muncipal. He shook his head. Souji didn't know what to do. He'd just let Naoto take control of the situation and have Rion kick his ass. If worse came to worse, Kanji would help out.

In the hospital, Adachi was talking to a white and black clad nurse when the others arrived to talk to him. Souji was in the front, Naoto far left, and Yosuke was to the far right. Adachi turned to them and asked, confused, "Huh? What are you guys doing here? Hey, do you guys know where Dojima-san went? They told me he snuck out of his room again."

The nurse he was talking to earlier told Adachi, "I assure you we told him multiple times, we've made it clear to him that he needs to stay put, but he keeps going off on his own." The nurse walked away in frustration.

Adachi watched her go before turning back to the group. He said to them, "Geez… With Namatame finally relocated, I was looking forward to going home."

Rion nodded to Naoto, and she nodded back. She said to Adachi, "So… he's been relocated. I've been wondering… You seem to be in a terrible hurry to get him out of this hospital."

Souji thought, "Did she not trust what to say without Rion's approval?"

Adachi looked confused, "Huh? Oh, yeah. I mean, we can't leave him here with Dojima-san and Nanako-chan around. Didn't you guys think so too?" Adachi looked at them strangely, "Hey, what are you guys doing here anyways? Nanako-chan's room is in the other wing. Don't you think you should leave before Dojima-san finds you? If he catches you, he'll start pestering you again."

They looked at each other as at that very moment, Dojima walked up behind Adachi. "What were the chances of this?" Souji thought.

He asked the defective, "Adachi… Where's Namatame? There's been a lot of noise here today for some reason."

Adachi seemed surprised to see him here and asked, "Dojima-san! What are you doing here!? Namatame has already been relocated. I was looking for you so I could tell you that."

It was his uncle's turn to be surprised, "You did what!? Who authorized this!? There's still more I need to ask him about!"

Adachi looked flustered and said, "G… gimme a break, D… Dojima-san!"

"Those first two murders have been bothering me," Dojima told Adachi, "His motives are shaky, and his alibi is rock solid. We closed a lot of loopholes based on his testimony, but that part's still nagging at me."

"My uncle is brilliant," Souji thought. He should be a Persona-user.

Adachi looked tired, "Is this more of your "detective's intuition"? He's already been relocated. It's no use hassling me about it." As he turned around, his voice raised as he spoke to the group, "And you kids should really get home, too. You're gonna get in the way of police business."

"Police business my ass," Rion muttered as he pushed up his glasses, "We have a detective with us."

Dojima looked at him and asked, "What's gotten into you today? It's odd to take you work so seriously."

Adachi looked abashed, "C… C'mon, I'm always giving 110% when it comes to the job!" He said to Dojima, "You should back to work too, Dojima-san. Your current assignment: Get better as soon as soon as possible!"

Doijma sighed and looked grumpy. He looked at the Persona-users and finally asked as if only just noticing them, "What are you all doing here?"

"We want to validate something… with Adachi-san," Souji explained, "We have something to ask."

Adachi looked confused as Souji nodded with Naoto and Rion to start the questioning. It looked like Souji would be the one questioning the defective after all. "Here goes nothing…," he thought.

"Adachi-san, when did Yamano vanish?" Souji asked.

"The time the announcer went missing…?" Adachi looked confused, "I can't say for sure offhand. It's not like I saw her or anything. That was months and months ago, too. My memory's kinda hazy that far back."

"But you were there watching over her that night…," Rion thought.

Souji's next question… he thought about it for a second and then asked, "Did you question Saki Konishi, did you keep interrogating her?"

"Why wouldn't I question her? She found the announcer's body," Adachi responded, "But she didn't know much about it, so I only questioned her once or twice."

"Someone is trying to cover his ass," Rion thought.

Adachi asked, "Is that all you wanted to ask? I hope it helped."

"What about the warning letter that you took me in for?" Souji asked him.

"Warning letter?" Adachi looked confused.

Naoto continued, "The one that was delivered to his house. It's in police custody now, correct?"

He looked befuddled, "Uhh… I don't really remember."

This aggravated Doijma as he told him his voice became angry, "Hey, what do you mean you don't remember!? I gave it to you to take down to the crime lab for processing. Don't tell me you forgot!?"

"Haha… I'm sorry," Adachi looked embarrassed, "Your accident was right after that, and with one thing after another, it sorta slipped my mind. B… Besides, that thing was just a prank, right?" When no one was speaking to agree with him, he got worried. Rion just pushed up his glasses. "Geez, what are you asking me all of this for!? For crying out loud! What's this all about!?" He turned to Souji's uncle and told him, "Dojima-san, you really need to get back to your bed. That's why your wounds are not healing." He turned back to Souji and told him and the others angrily, "And you all need to go home right now! Do you have any idea what time it is!?" He told Dojima, "I'm going back… I need to get to the station and report in."

The guys in the group started to circle around him except for Rion, who slowly started to release the top off of his walking stick. Adachi looked worried as Naoto said calmly, "Just one more thing, please." Adachi turned to her as she said, "We know for certain now that the first two murders weren't Namatame's doing. Someone else killed them." She asked, "Adachi-san… Do you have any idea who that might be?"

Adachi looked around, shrugged and said, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Kanji told the defective, "'Cause we think it mighta been you!" This surprised and alarmed both Dojima and Adachi.

The flustered Adachi responded, "Wh… What!? Th… That's ridiculous! We already know Namatame is the one who put them all in!"

Rion could barely contain a chuckle as he pushed up his glasses, "Put them in…, tch…"

"What did you just say!?" Chie asked incredulously.

"In the end, he proved… he's just an idiot defective," Souji thought.

"Put them all in…?" Dojima asked slowly as his voice raised slowly, "What's this "putting them in" business? Do you know something about the method behind their murders? Don't tell all this business about TVs and whatnot from before…"

Naoto said to Adachi, "I see… Now I finally understand. To tell the truth, Adachi-san, I've been fixated on something you've once said. Before I didn't know why… Only that it sounded like a wrong note to me. Do you recall when I read Namatame's diary at the scene of Dojima-san's accident?" She continued, "At the time, I said, "Even the victims who survived and were never released to the public are written here." And in response, your words were, "Wow… Then that settles it." How, I wonder, would that "settle" anything? At the time, the police had no idea that there had been other attempted murders related to the case."

"Only kidnappings of the people standing in front of you…," Rion muttered. Souji guessed they had discussed it together.

"You had no reason to say such a thing," Naoto continued. She followed Rion's example, "After all, there are countless examples of people disappearing for a few days. Yet when I read the list of names, you raised no objections. Odd, that. What do you say to that, Detective Adachi?"

Detective Adachi was sweating profusely and said quickly, "I… I don't know! I said I'm busy!" As he tried to run away, Rion tripped him with his staff. Adachi got up quickly and kept running.

"Wait, you son of a bitch!" Kanji yelled.

They had all started running after him. They had found the killer. Dojima tried to follow, but fell, "Adachi… Ngh! Dammit!" He yelled, "Adachi!"

The group ran after the defective. They went up stairs towards the surgical ward, and into Namatame's old room. All of them looked around, but none of them could find Adachi.

"Don't tell me…," Souji muttered.

"I think so…," Rion pushed his glasses up as he shrugged.

"What the!? I swear he ran this way!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"Dammit! Where'd the hell did he go?" Kanji asked.

Dojima had finally made his way into the room, "Did you find him?" When they shook their heads, Dojima told them, "I contacted security. Nobody's seen Adachi, and there's no record on anyone leaving this area. So he must be still in this ward somewhere."

Chie looked around and said nervously, "He's still here? But we looked… We didn't find him anywhere."

"That bastard…," Dojima said slowly, "Ungh…" His body started giving way.

The nurse caught up with Dojima, "Dojima-san! For heaven's sake, what are we going to do with you!?"

He turned to the nurse and said, "Sorry, I got carried away."

The nurse asked him, annoyed, "Do you even want to get better!? If you keep this up, there could be lasting damages! Have you forgotten how much trouble it caused you last time!?"

"You're right… Sorry…," Dojima apologized.

The nurse slowly lead Dojima away from the surgical ward and back to the ICU. As they were leaving Dojima said to them, "You have got to find Adachi. I need to square this away with him… Please." Souji nodded.

The others had not heard the conversation that had taken place between Souji and Rion.

"He hasn't left this ward yet? I don't think he would, but could he have?" Yukiko asked.

"Yeah, I think so…," Chie said, "If he's the killer, he can go through, right?"

Rise asked, "You mean he went in through here?"

Yosuke said, "We searched every inch in the direction he ran off in… There's nowhere to hide. I don't think we coulda missed him."

Naoto told him, "He was cornered… It's highly probable that he escaped there. If he does indeed turn up on the other side; that should prove beyond a doubt that he is the culprit."

"We're right," Souji said, "So… What do you think we should do? Personally, I think we should go in tomorrow."

Rise nodded, "I think it's too dangerous to go in from here. We're not 100% positive he used this TV, and on top of that, we don't know where it might lead." She told them, "Let's go in from Junes, like always. It'll be fine. So long as we're ready for him, we'll crush that jerk in one strike."

"Of course we will," Souji responded.

They walked away from the hospital. Yukiko and Souji walked out together and took her to the bus stop.

"I can't believe we're getting this close," Yukiko told Souji.

"We'll catch him for sure," Souji assured him.

Returning home after a quick kiss with his love, Souji took a deep breath and let it out. They had finally found their man, and confronted him. The problem is… that he probably fled into the TV.

Souji was tired, so he quickly fell asleep after hitting the pillow on his futon.

---

He was in the Velvet Room… "Not here again…," Souji thought, "But where is everyone?" It was empty inside. Finally something had appeared. It was a Teddie!

"Where am I?" Teddie asked himself, not noticing you.

"Teddie?" Souji asked. "Is he really here?" he thought, "No wonder we couldn't find him."

He stood up and turned towards Souji, "Sensei? Why are you here?"

"This is where I spend a lot of time, I guess," Souji answered, "But I wonder why you are here too?"

"I see… How mysterious," Teddie answered, "There are so many things I don't know about. But I did realize something." The bear put his head down. "I've been thinking all this time… about who I really am. But I couldn't find the answer. I was "no one" from the start. Humans live in one world, and Shadows live in this world. From the beginning… that's all there was to it." His voice quivered, "I was just a Shadow in that world."

"That doesn't matter. Everyone's worried about you, Teddie," Souji told Teddie.

Teddie smiled, "You're always so kind, Sensei…" Teddie shook his head and told Souji, "I've figured something out. That day at the hospital, I realized that I can't really do anything. As soon as I thought that, I lost consciousness. Then when I woke up, I was inside the fog. Shadows can't stay in the human world. They aren't allowed. I walked and walked, but there was nothing all around me. Just when I started thinking that I couldn't go anywhere, I heard the noise of a car. And then I was here." Teddie put his head down again.

"He's so depressed," Souji thought.

Teddie continued, "I remember lots of things now. My world is a place shaped by human thoughts. One day, a Shadow living in that world awakened to human emotions. But humans and Shadows are completely different entities." Teddie started shaking, "So he made himself forget that he was a Shadow. He wanted to forget… He wanted people to like him. And that's how he came to look like this." Teddie stopped shaking as he said, "I really am stupid. What the other Teddie said before… In the end, it was all true. No matter how much I search for myself, I have no self. There was no me to begin with."

"Do you even listen to yourself?" Souji asked, "Of course you have a self."

Teddie couldn't be consoled, "I'm just a Shadow that took a different form so humans would like me. It would've been better if I had never remembered, but I did. I'll… probably turn back into a regular Shadow soon." He looked straight into Souji's eyes and said, "Oh yeah, Sensei. One day, when you meet Nana-chan in heaven… Apologize for me. Tell her… I'm sorry I couldn't do anything for her… Tell her I'm really sorry."

Souji smiled at Teddie, "Nanako's alive, Teddie. You saved her life by believing in her."

Teddie looked genuinely surprised as his head raised. He asked Souji, "Huh!? Really!?"

Souji told Teddie, "She came back only about an hour afterwards. She's still trying to get better. Nanako needs you to come back so you can get better."

"Nana-chan's…," Teddie was happy, "Wow… That's wonderful. I'm so glad. Glad that I could at least hear that. My heart feels so much lighter now. I'm starting to feel sleepy. What a strange place, it's so soothing. It's not like my world. Something just feels nostalgic about this place." He asked Souji, "Could this be your dream world, Sensei?"

Souji tired to resist a chuckle. "I guess it's something like that," he responded.

"I see…," Teddie said, "But I wonder why I met you here. What am I supposed to do now?"

"Let's move on together. We're looking for you, Teddie," Souji responded.

"But… I don't know what to look for or how to find it. No matter how hard I think, there are too many things my little brain can't understand. But I do understand one thing now… I'm glad I met you, Sensei."

He felt great the deep trust Teddie had for him. They worked together for so long. They fought together, and took care of each other. Even if Teddie was a Shadow, he was not only Souji's friend. He was also "little sis'" friend.

Teddie suddenly turned around and said to Souji, "I have to get going. This is your place… It doesn't seem like somewhere where I'd be allowed to be stay." Teddie said solemnly, "Goodbye… Sensei…"

Teddie disappeared from Souji's vision and Igor appeared. He told Souji, "Hmm… It seems the words in your memory weren't the only thing you summoned here. This is a room for guests who have an ego that can be nurtured. Shadows… mere fragments broken off from the ego… have no place here. The water's strength has moved a single stone that had stopped, returning it once again into the flow."

Souji told him, "Teddie is far more than a Shadow."

Igor chuckled, "Very interesting." He told Souji, "It's about time we departed again. This vehicle is still on its journey. There is no reason to stay here any longer." She looked at the pretty girl at his side that Souji had made many a summons and fusions with, "Margaret?"

She nodded and responded, "We're ready to go. Let us depart," as the Velvet Limo thingy started moving.

Igor chuckled, "You are every inch the guest I had anticipated. Now it's time for you to return." He chuckled again, "I'm even more intrigued now as to where this is all headed."

Margaret said, "We'll be waiting for your next visit."

"I guess so," Souji responded. "Meeting you guys is more stressful than meeting with Teddie, but with less angst."

Souji slowly woke up from his dream and would be getting ready for the next day. "Time to get ready to catch the jackass."


	26. Chapter 26

Novelization of Persona 4 Chapter 26

I own umm… nothing of Persona, nothing of SMT, and nothing of Atlus.

So, the story is getting closer to the end. I've been cutting it up for good measure into smaller chunks. Mainly, I play it by ear on how much fluff, angst, and length goes into it. So… Auf Wiedersehen. I'll try to stop over-focusing on Rion's relationship issues for a while after this chapter.

---

Souji woke up to "Catch that bastard," as he put it. The defective was the perpetrator. Adachi was going to get it, and everyone was going to get a shot at him.

School, well no one really paid attention during school that day. It was all about fog regardless. Everyone's mind was focused on one thing… kicking defective ass.

When the bell rang, Souji nearly sprung from his chair and thought, "All right… Let's find Adachi and make him pay."

They all met in Junes after school, in the Electronics Department, everyone except for Teddie, of course. Yosuke was the last to arrive to the TV. He was still searching for Teddie, and secretly, Souji didn't expect Yosuke to find him after what he had experienced last night.

"He's a Shadow, and he's running away from all of us," Souji thought.

Naoto asked Yosuke as he walked up to them, "How did it go? Did you find Teddie?" Naoto looked worried and distressed.

Yosuke's arms were crossed, and he shook his head in denial. He told them, "No, and no one's seen him either."

Rise gestured in frustration, "Ooh, that annoying little furball! Just when we're at a turning point in the case, too!"

"Of course," Rion muttered, "He'll show… eventually."

Naoto shook her head, "We have no choice. Let's pursue Adachi for now."

Into the TV they went.

When they reached the TV world, Souji was surprised. He could choke on the fog, it was so thick. It was getting difficult to see even with his glasses.

Rise was standing in the front of the group, Souji and Chie at the back. Naoto and Kanji were to the left, and Yukiko and Yosuke to the right. Rion was standing right in front of Souji.

Chie winced as she said, "Whoa… Look how dense the fog is. It's gotten even worse than before."

Rise walked forward as she exclaimed, "What the…!? There's this malicious aura everywhere. It feels completely different from the last time I was here."

"It has to be Adachi," Souji said.

Rise nodded, "I think we'd better hurry." She looked at the others, "Give me a sec to try finding Adachi."

Rise stood in front of the group and summoned Kanzeon to try and find Adachi. The white lady with the satellite dishes on her head started moving back and forth.

Yosuke asked as Rise started to search, "Does this mean both this world and ours are getting messed up?"

Yukiko shook her head, "Our glasses work on the fog on the other side. It can't be normal. And I heard more people are falling ill because of the fog. I wonder what's going to happen."

"Both of the worlds are getting really screwy," Souji said, "There's no explanation for it."

Rise suddenly said from underneath her Persona, "I sense him! Adachi is definitely in here!"

Well, most of the group looked surprised by the revelation, sans Souji and Rion. Both of them knew that Adachi was here and was still here.

Yosuke asked, "Are you serious!? Which way!?" That was the million dollar question after all… The location of Defective Adachi.

"Hold on…," Rise told Yosuke as she extended the range of her satellites.

As they moved back and forth, Naoto said slowly, "So he did come to this side… Well that settles it. There's virtually no doubt remaining that he's the true culprit. Once we capture him, solving the mystery of this world and the rest of the case can't be far behind."

Chie continued, "Then maybe we'll find where Teddie came from, too?"

"We already know what Teddie is and where he came from," Souji thought, "At least I do. It's kind of obvious." Souji noticed Rion pushing up his glasses, and he restrained himself from chuckling.

"Where is that bear, anyway?" Chie asked, frustrated.

Rise told her, "Well… I can say for sure he's not here."

This did make Souji wonder, considering Teddie was supposedly returning to his world. Yet, he was not here according to Rise's scans. But, the fog was almost impenetrable.

Suddenly, Rise's Persona disappeared and she told them. She was disheartened to say, "And I know Adachi is here, but I can't track him down myself." She gestured, "Gee Ted! Why aren't you here when we need you most!?" She sunk to her knees.

"I don't know…," Souji shook his head, "You want to try, Rion? Your Persona has scanning abilities."

Naoto looked at Souji in surprise as Rion responded dryly, "Short range scanning abilities… But as you wish."

Rion stood forward and his Persona sprung to life, the visor coming over his own glasses and Ameno-waka-hiko. The hakama-clad Persona flew up into air firing arrows in all directions, the information relaying back into his own visor.

"Any luck…?" Rise asked from her kneeling position, looking at Rion expectantly.

Rion sighed as his own Persona disappeared and he pushed up his glasses, "I have a general premise on where Adachi is. But with three or four possible paths, I don't want to send you down the wrong one and get you lost."

Souji shook his head, "Well, unfortunately… that's not going to help us."

---

Back at the hospital… in Nanako's room at the ICU.

Teddie was standing to the right side of Nanako's bed. He seemed surprised to be there.

"This place…," Teddie said. He sighed. He noticed that everything Souji had said was true.

"I see…," Teddie said slowly, "I came back… But it really doesn't matter. I'm completely useless. Nana-chan… I'm so sorry."

"Teddie?" Nanako said slowly and painfully. When Teddie looked at her, "It is you… Teddie. I heard… your voice… You said… hang in there… I heard… my big bro… and everyone else, too…"

"Nana-chan!?" Teddie was still shocked to hear her speak despite what Souji said and seeing the machines showing her alive, "Hold on, I'll get the doctor!"

The doctor arrived at Teddie's insistence. He checked Nanako's vitals to make sure she was okay.

"It seems she's asleep again," The doctor said.

Teddie looked at the doctor and said, "U… Um… Nana-chan told me that she heard my voice. She heard me say, "hang in there"."

The doctor nodded and responded, "It could be that her frankly miraculous recovery was because everyone's voices reached her. Even unconscious people are capable of hearing other peoples' voices."

"My voice… and theirs too… Everyone…," Teddie said slowly and softly.

"In any case, there are too many things we don't understand about her condition and what caused it. We're doing our best, but it's difficult when everything about her illness is a total unknown."

Teddie put her head down and said, "Unknown…"

"Well, if anything happens, please send for me," the doctor told the bear-Shadow-human thing. The doctor walked away and out the door.

Teddie said to himself, "If I'm an unknown being, then the way I can change is unknown, too. So, all I have to do… is make them not-unknown. Nana-chan's doing her best… Sensei and the others are probably fighting now too." His voice slowed down, "I… I'm just a Shadow, but Nana-chan cheered up when she heard my voice… So what if I'm a Shadow!? There must be something I can do! I can't just give up thinking about things. That's why I came back here. Right, Nana-chan?"

He looked above him. His spherical-like red and blue Persona that carried a silver missile in its hands started to change. Kintoki-Douji was changing into a Persona with claws, and a red cape instead of blue. Its missile was lodged in its hindquarters.

He said to himself after the transformation, "Right! I need to get back to the others!" He looked at Nanako and said to her, "Hang in there, Nana-chan. I'll be back soon!"

---

Rise had gotten up again and started scanning with Kanzeon for the second time. She said disappointedly, "It's no use… I can only tell that Adachi is here, not his exact location." She was frustrated that even Rion was doing a better job at scanning than her.

"Rise-chan…," Chie said sympathetically.

"If only Teddie was with us," Rise said.

Kanji asked, "Didn't he say his nose was practically worthless? Could he even help us find the bastard?"

"I don't think that's the point," Rion said, pushing up his glasses. Souji nodded in agreement.

"Haha, nope. He'd be no help at all," Rise chuckled, agreeing with Rion, "But he was always there to support me whenever…"

"Massages, anyone?" Rion muttered, adjusting the right side of his glasses, causing the majority of them to laugh. All of them except Naoto… who looked distressed at what he said.

"That bear's a loudmouth, but he's nice to have around. He's always so full of energy," Chie said to them.

Naoto finally says to them, "He's lighthearted, and always optimistic."

Rise finally gave up and dropped to her knees again as her Persona dissipated. The group rushed to her side as she looked exhausted.

"Rise-chan? Are you okay?" Souji asked.

"I'm all right… I just got a little dizzy," Rise answered, "The fog's so dense… It's hard to see through it."

Chie suggested, "Why don't we call it a day? It won't do you any good if you collapse."

Naoto said, "I agree. If Rise-san becomes fatigued, even if we found Adachi, our capacity in battle would be reduced. Moreover, it's almost nighttime… We should return to our world for the present."

"Okay… let's head out of here," Souji agreed.

Rion helped Rise up from her knees and then all of them left the TV world. They all ended up sitting on the roofed table near the Electronics Department.

They were all distressed that they had no real idea of where Adachi was.

Kanji, who was sitting across from Naoto and Rion said, "Dammit… We came so far only to run into a dead end."

"I know he's in there too," Rise said, distraught. She said frustrated, "What's wrong with me!? My powers are completely useless!"

Rise suddenly stood up, and they looked in her direction as she said in surprise, "Teddie!?"

They all stood up at this and they saw the little bear-thing. Yosuke said to the bear standing to the bear over to the side of the table, "Y… You little… Where the hell were you!?"

Teddie started walking over to Yosuke and the others. He apologized to them, "I… I'm sorry."

Rise ran over to the bear and wrapped her arms around him, "You idiot! Bad bear! Bad! You're so late! Who do you think you are!?" She started crying.

"U… Um, Rise-chan," Teddie said slowly as he was being drenched, "Are you faking?"

"No, stupid!" Rise answered.

"S… sorry…!" Teddie tried to apologize, "I want to help you all again."

Kanji asked, "Y'know how much trouble you caused us ya dumb bear!? Where the hell were you!?"

"I'm sorry…," Teddie said slowly, "I figured out a lot of things… Stuff about me… and that world. I wanted to tell you all…"

Teddie took a seat next to Kanji, across from Rion and Chie. He began speaking about who he really is. Souji learned what he already knew, and Rion learned what he thought he knew.

Chie said finally, "A Shadow!? You mean you're one of those things we've been fighting!?"

Teddie nodded as he said, "Yup… just like the ones you all know about. Shadows are suppressed human thoughts given form… Everyone has them inside."

Yosuke looked at Teddie and said, "Wait… You say you're a Shadow, but you didn't attack us. And you kept telling us from the start that you wanted to bring peace and quiet back to your world, right?"

Teddie sighed, "But in the end… I was just an ordinary Shadow... Nothing special about me at all. I did everything I could up until now to try and make my world peaceful. But instead, this weird fog started seeping out into this world too." He started crying, "I'm sorry… I'm really sorry. If I really was special, then maybe…"

Souji shook his head, "It's okay Teddie…" "I thought we dealt with this," Souji thought.

"It's no big deal," Yosuke responded. He grinned, "We weren't expecting much from you in the first place. And about you being a Shadow, we pretty much figured you were something like that anyway."

Teddie's head sprung up in surprise, "Huh!? What are you saying!?" Teddie said to Yosuke vehemently, "Here I am, pouring my heart out to you, and you say you thought I was something like that anyway!? No normal person would think such a pretty bear could really be a Shadow!"

Kanji looked at the bear, "So what's the problem with being a Shadow?"

"It's true you may have been born this way," Naoto explained, "But you now possess the power of a Persona. A Shadow is suppressed power… Once controlled by the ego, it becomes a Persona."

"That makes you much more than a simple Shadow," Rion said to him, "You must have developed an ego, right? That's how you have gained and are able to use a Persona."

Naoto continued, "Whether the ego masters its Shadow, or the Shadow awakens to its ego… The only difference I see is in the order in which it occurs."

Chie smiled and said, "Oh! Teddie's practically human, then."

"I… I'm… the same as humans…?" Teddie asked slowly.

"Of course you are," Souji responded, "That's why you are able to turn human-esque."

Yosuke smiled, "You keep trying to find out who you are, just like all of us. You can't do much on your own… You really aren't that special… See? What's so different between you and us?"

The tears started flowing from Teddie's eyes, and Rion pushed up his glasses. Teddie cried out, "Th… Thank you! I… I'm so glad… I met you guys!"

Yosuke continued, "The rest of us were just a group of misfits to begin with too, right?"

"That pretty much was just you," Rion said with a smirk. Naoto hit him over the head.

"Shut up…," Yosuke jokingly, but responded, "Anyways Teddie, you fit right in."

"But who are you calling a misfit?" Naoto asked, annoyed.

"You are a misfit, Naoto," Rion said, "Do I have to explain?" He smirked again while pushing up his glasses. He got hit over the head again causing Souji to chuckle.

"Rion is right, that is just you, Yosuke-senpai" Rise smiled.

"He's right," Souji agreed.

Yosuke shook his head, "Hey… That's not something a detective would say… Or an idol, either!" As the group laughed, Yosuke looked at Teddie and told him, "Geez… Stop crying, will ya? Now's not the time for that. While you were gone we figured out who murdered the announcer and Senpai. It was Adachi."

Teddie looked up in surprised, "Huh!? Adachi!? That total goofball!? Whoa… I didn't notice at all. Looks like I'm kinda blind to that sorta thing." He sighed, "But you all know him… If you can't find someone like that, I don't think I can help you."

Yosuke said, "Like I said, we're not expecting much from ya."

Kanji explained, "The main thing is, it's hard to get pumped about this without someone nice and fuzzy around."

"Yeah, what Kanji said," Rise seconded.

"O… okay!" Teddie smiled, "Thanks, guys!"

"Alright, now that the band's back together, let's take it from the top, starting tomorrow!" Yosuke said.

"It's been a while, but I'll do my best to look for him. Leave it to Fuzzy!" Teddie exclaimed.

"That's all we want," Souji said, "Let's head out."

They all walked off to get ready for tomorrow. Yukiko and Souji together, while Chie and Yosuke walked off together as well.

---

Yukiko and Souji were hand in hand on their way to the bus stop. They were finally all reunited, and brought new vigor to the group. He wasn't sure how, but Souji was sure they would actually be able to find Adachi now.

"I'm so glad we found Teddie," Yukiko said to him, still holding his hand, "We can find Adachi now."

"I'm happy too," Souji replied. "I just didn't know when he'd show up," Souji thought, "Should have been sooner."

"As long as you're happy," Yukiko said as Souji's arm went over her shoulder. She smiled and relaxed into Souji's grasp.

"I just hope he'll be able to help us find him," Souji said, "Something tells me it's important to find Adachi as soon as possible, or it could prove troublesome."

They shared a kiss while Souji and Yukiko were waiting for the bus. Souji didn't want the bus to come.

---

Chie and Yosuke got no time alone before Teddie started berating them. Chie and Yosuke shook their heads. That's the only good thing that while Teddie was gone… No Teddie to bother them.

"Teddie!" Yosuke yelled at the bear. Chie shook her head. It was just like old times again as Teddie started asking questions about Chie's and Yosuke's relationship. Yosuke put his hand on his forehead, "If only he put this much effort into finding those who were kidnapped, and Adachi," he thought.

---

Rion returned to his condo by himself. He was told to wait for Naoto at his place, which wouldn't be the first time he had to do so. Her grandfather made it difficult, indeed. He filled up a glass of water, and took off his glasses. He put his right hand over his face and sighed.

He finished his drink as the landlord announced that Naoto was coming up. She had changed into her un-Naoto-like apparel before she had come.

"Hello, Naoto-chan," Rion greeted her as he opened the door and let her in.

"Evening…," She responded. They weren't here to discuss the case for once. As she made her way in, she wrapped her smaller arms around him.

"Unexpected," Rion said… He noticed something bothersome to him… very bothersome.

"I don't want to worry about my grampa… I can stay for a while," Naoto told him as she snuggled into his chest.

As she was trying to get comfortable, she was suddenly pushed away and held at arm's length. "Huh!? What's wrong!?"

"You know what's wrong," Rion responded, "It's in your body language… And don't try to lie to me."

Naoto sighed, "I… I…"

"If you're going to break up with me, just tell me," Rion told her.

"I don't want to," Naoto explained, tears gleaming, "It's because of my…"

"I understand…," Rion said. He took and let out a deep breath, "I hope you don't have another "raison d'être" that is also affecting your reasoning. If you do, please tell me."

Naoto tried to wipe her eyes, "I love you as much as I did as when I met you."

"So… not at all," Rion smiled. It made Naoto chuckle.

"You won't forget me will you?" Naoto asked as she forced her arms back around him.

"I'll forget about you when I die," Rion whispered into her ear.

He sat down on his little couch with Naoto on his lap. His arms wrapped around her waist. She was falling asleep, and so was he. "Her grandfather pushed her too far…" Rion thought.

---

Souji watched school go as a passing memory and the whole group headed into the TV world. Teddie would be key in finding Adachi, he hoped. Souji noticed that Rion and Naoto weren't as close today, but they looked… He would have to call Rion tonight.

Teddie was looking distraught as Souji had asked him to search for Adachi. They were all counting on him and standing around him at the plaza. Souji stood close by where they went towards Yukiko's castle and next to Rion.

He told the others, "I'll give it a try, but… If Rise-chan couldn't find him, I really doubt that someone with a dried-up nose like me will be much help." Teddie started thinking and smelling. He put his nose to the grindstone. He told him, "I do smell Adachy-baby in here, but the fog is completely covering up his scent."

"Just like it was for us," Rion said, gesturing to Rise.

"Teddie… you can't do it either?" Rise looked disappointed at Teddie's words.

Teddie looked at Rise and said, "Wh… When you look at me with those eyes… I get this feeling that I have to sniff him out no matter what!" He yelled out, "This is my time to shine!"

"Go Teddie!" Souji told him. "We're counting on you," Souji thought.

As Teddie sniffed, he suddenly said, "Ooh… I'm getting something!" He buckled down and started growling. He literally started glowing and scared Souji. It seemed to scare the rest of them as well.

When he stopped glowing, they looked at him. Yukiko asked, "Teddie…?"

Teddie started walking around, seemingly searching for Adachi. Yosuke was bothered by his searching and bearated him, "Hey, quit wandering around! You better not flake out on us again!"

Teddie continued searching around with his nose. He stopped and finally said, "Huh!?... I sense it from this way!" He pointed at 9 o clock down the plaza. Rion pushed up his glasses. It was a place he remembered visiting.

Kanji asked quickly, "Is it Adachi!?"

Teddie responded nervously, "Umm… How do I put it… It's kind of hazy, but at the same time, it feels like I got a whopper on the line."

Rise said, "I don't get it…"

Souji chuckled.

"Veery suspicious… This definitely smells…," Teddie told them, "But that's weird. If I remember right, that's where Sensei, Rion, Yosuke, and Chie-chan came from when I met them for the first time."

Souji shook his head as he thought, "Oh dear. No wonder it smells."

Yosuke was confused, "When we first…? Where was that?" He suddenly remembered, "Oh… You mean that creepy-ass room where all the faces on the posters were cut out?"

Teddie nodded, "Yep! There's someone there!"

Rise smiled as she told him, "Teddie! You really are amazing!"

Teddie blushed as he turned to talk to Rise, "I… It was really was just dumb luck… It's because that's where I first sensed Sensei and the others. That's why it kinda smelled over there."

Chie nodded, "Ah… I see." She looked at him, "Wait… did you say it smelled? Wasn't that the room where Yosuke had to go to the bathroom, and…"

"Yeah…," Souji answered.

Rise looked aghast, "Huh? You're saying… he peed his pants there!?"

Yukiko hunched over and said in disgust, "Eww! I… I don't want to hear it!"

Yosuke protested, "Oh, you lie so bad! I did not piss my pants! Chie! Quit spreading random rumors about stuff like that!"

Chie shrugged nervously, "Uhh, well, it happened so long ago… My memory is kind of fuzzy, you know."

"Sure it is," Souji told her. Rion pushed up his glasses, causing him to chuckle.

Teddie walked into the center of the group, "Oookay guys, enough fuzziness! Follow me, the master of fuzzy logic!" He chuckled.

Yukiko started laughing, and Chie said, "Hah, I haven't heard you crack up in a while, Yukiko. Though I really wonder sometimes about your sense of "humor"."

"How do you know if she hasn't laughed recently?" Souji asked, causing weird looks to be directed at him.

After staying behind to make sure Yukiko would be okay, the group started heading down the path. They followed the stench, trying not to gag. "You got to be kidding me. The smell has matured. It's gotten worse," Souji thought.

They opened the door to reach the scary room with the faces of Hiragi cut out. Souji remembered the bloody-like splatters on the wall, and the noose in the middle of the room. Souji heard a voice he had heard many times before as he walked in, "That damn bitch… I noticed her first, and she just had to run off and have an affair."

It was Adachi, and they were all standing around the doorway as the defective turned around to confront them. "Who's there!?" Adachi asked angrily. When he noticed it was Souji in the front, and flanked by Chie, Yosuke and the rest… Adachi smirked and said, "Oh… it's you guys. You're very persistent."

"Did you kill Ms. Yamano?" Souji asked.

"You're getting on my nerves, little kid," Adachi responded.

"Answer the question!" Yosuke demanded, "Did you or did you not throw Ms. Yamano into the TV!?"

Adachi chuckled, "It was an accident. She started struggling… What else was I supposed to do?" He told them, "I called her out to the lobby because I wanted to ask her something. And then she started getting hysterical on me."

---

Flashback to the Amagi Inn-Lobby

Yamano, in her white suit coat, was standing in the lobby of the Amagi Inn next to… what else, but a large-screen TV. There was a plush beige couch to the left of her.

Mayumi asked Adachi, "Who're you? And what's this "something important" you called me out here for?"

Adachi advanced towards her, making her back towards the TV. He asked calmly, "What they saw on the news isn't true, is it? All that talk about having an affair and whatnot… It's a lie, right?"

Mayumi looked annoyed as she told him, "Why do I have to explain myself to you?"

Adachi took another step towards the announcer, forcing her back some more. He was still calm as he said, "I see… so you don't deny it." His voice raised, "You caught my eye, but it turns out that you're just another worthless bitch!"

Mayumi took another step back at his livid words. She asked him, "What's wrong with you? D… Don't make me call for help!"

Adachi shook his head as he muttered, "Ugh… shut up, shut up, shut up!" He told her with a smirk, "I think you need to see what it's like to fear for your life… It'll get your head straight."

Adachi kept walking towards her, making her step back all the way until she was right behind the TV. Mayumi was terrified as she asked, "Wh… What are you going to do!?"

Adachi grabbed a hold of Yamano… and then… she disappeared.

As Adachi stared at the blank TV where Yamano used to be, Adachi said blankly, Sh… She fell in." He started laughing, "Wow… So people can go completely inside!"

---

Back to the TV world,

Adachi smirked as he told the Persona-users, "Good thing for me no one else was around in the middle of the night."

Yukiko said, dismayed, "That… happened in our lobby?"

"You bastard…," Souji muttered softly. "Who would be sick enough to do this?" he thought.

Adachi explained, "I learned about the Midnight Channel through some rumor. You hear a lot of fishy stories like that through the force. But it was pure coincidence that I touched the screen and discovered my power. I burst out laughing when I found out. I knew right away that it was going to be interesting!"

"Interesting!?" Souji exclaimed, "You said it was going to be interesting!?"

"So you tested it out on Mayumi Yamano," Yosuke confirmed.

Adachi shook his head, "Nah, it was nothing like that. I'm a very sincere fellow. I was just trying to punish the stupid bitch a little for betraying me." He nodded, "Yeah, putting them inside the TV was never the plan. But y'know, both Mayumi and that dippy high school girl struggled for no reason."

This shocked them, and Yosuke exclaimed, "So you were responsible for Saki-senpai's death!"

Adachi thought for a moment before saying, "Saki? Oh yeah… her name was Saki Konishi or something like that. At first, I just called her in because of work-related stuff. Her being the one who found Mayumi's body and all. And naturally, if there was any chance she'd seen anything, I'd need to know, right? So I was all set to be a nice guy to her, and then that bitch."

---

Police station- Interrogation Room, same as the one Souji was taken to.

Saki was standing in the interrogation room, looking impatient as she asked, "What's this all about, anyways? Didn't you call me in for more questions?"

Adachi advanced quickly towards her. She backed away quickly, towards… a… TV! He faced her and confronted, "Well, we'll get that. But you know, I saw you this afternoon." He kept advancing on Saki, and she kept backing up until she was all but pushed up against the TV. Adachi grasped Saki and said, "You were getting pretty cozy with that Namatame."

Saki wrested from his grasp and struck him across the face, leaving a red mark on his cheek.

Adachi smirked, "Huh… So I'm not good enough for you?" He snarled, "Well, I know how to deal with girls like you."

Saki screamed, "N… NO!"

Adachi grabbed a hold of Saki, and then… she was gone.

Adachi's voice was vicious, "God, these high school girls today. This world has gone straight to shit. When I was in high school, I wasn't allowed to do anything but study my ass off. I was supposed to be the best of the best, but instead they stick me in the boonies." He smirked, "But… I guess I get this sweet power to make up for it. Life's not so bad after all." He chuckled and then stuck his head inside the TV, "Get on your knees and beg, and then maybe I'll let you out!" He took his head out and walked away. He chuckled as he said, "Yeah, like that'll happen. As if I'd walk into a deathtrap like that."

---

Back to the TV world

Adachi told them, "It was a lot easier the second time. High school girls are thinner, y'know? Lighter."

"You son of a bitch!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"There's no excuse for what you did," Souji told the defective.

"C'mon, gimme a break," Adachi said, "I didn't know it was dangerous inside the TV. It's not like I was trying to kill them. I mean, I'm sure they hit on Namatame, not the other way around. A council secretary will one day rise to public office himself. Mayumi and that high school student were just gold digging." He snarled, "They got exactly what they deserved. I didn't do anything wrong."

Yosuke advanced and yelled, "Shut the hell up! You knew from what happened to Mayumi Yamano that people die in here!"

Rion pushed up his glasses as he thought, "It's obvious he knew that."

Adachi sighed before he said, "So what if I knew?"

"Did you trick Namatame in kidnapping the others?" Souji asked the defective.

Adachi shook his head in denial, "He called the police in the middle of the night, just after they found that Saki girl's body. The rest of the force had their hands full with the double homicide, and it happened that I was the one who took the call."

Naoto stared down the criminal and proclaimed, "Namatame said the police refused to take him seriously… You were responsible for that, then."

Adachi answered, "Oh, quite the contrary. If anyone else had the taken the call, sure, but I did actually believe him, y'know?"

---

Namatame's room with Yukiko on the Midnight Channel

Adachi on the line as Namatame as the phone… Adachi spoke to Namatame, "Huh… So that's the pattern to the first two murders so far? And now you're seeing a girl in a kimono on that weird program, and you'll think she'll die too. Is that right? Namatame-san… Do you seriously expect us to believe something like that?"

Namatame beseeched, "But… it's true! If there's any way the police can protect her."

Adachi responded, "Listen… There's no way the police are going to make a move based on a fantasy story like that. It does sound interesting, though."

"B… But," Namatame tried to plead.

Adachi suddenly said, "Oh, I have an idea. If you really want to save her that much… Why not do it yourself? Like… You could shelter her somewhere. Some place where no one could find her."

Namatame said quietly, "Where no one could find her?"

Adachi told him with a smirk over the line, "Save her yourself… You can do it. I'm busy, so I'm hanging up now. Bye."

Adachi hung up the phone to leave Namatame to his thoughts.

---

TV world

Adachi was laughing, "Isn't that amazing!? Of all the people that could have received Namatame's call, it ended up being me. Talk about luck! All I did was give him a little push… And he completely bought into his vision of this world. The more people you guys you saved, the more he'd kidnap. Both sides had the best of intentions, so the game of cat and mouse would never end… Haha, it was awesome!"

Rion muttered as he pushed up his glasses, "Unfortunately, your side didn't have the best intentions."

"You gotta be shittin' me!" Kanji yelled. He wasn't as calm as Rion.

Yukiko was dumbfounded as she asked angrily, "Why!? What reasons could you have for doing that!?"

Adachi chuckled as he smirked, "Reasons? None, really. I could it, that's all. And it was fun…. I guess that's my reason."

Souji had to resist the urge to go over and cut through his jacket by drawing his sword and slice Adachi into pieces right now. He thought the others shared his sentiment.

"Y… You murdered people just for the fun of it!?" Chie asked incredulously. She wanted an explanation.

Adachi told her, "C'mon… All I did was put people in here. I didn't murder them. And Namatame did most of it. I had nothing to do with any of you."

"You're dodging the blame!" Kanji yelled.

Adachi looked at the gang-killer, "Yeah? Then how would you prove it? "He put people inside TVs"? Haha, you think the police are that stupid?"

Teddie was pissed, "Grrr… What a jerkwad!"

Adachi said, "I do admit, though. I never thought you guys would be able to track me down. I like that. Games like this have to have surprises or they get boring fast. It's like when I dealt with that Kubo kid. That was fun too."

That was surprising to the whole group. Naoto asked, still surprised, "Then… you mean to say that Mitsuo Kubo's disappearance was your doing as well? I did sense something odd in his course of action. If he had special powers and wanted attention, why resort to a regular copycat crime? But that wasn't the case… Kubo had no special powers. In fact, he was thrown in by you… Am I correct?"

Adachi smiled as he explained, "It had been a while since I last put someone inside the TV, so I really got a kick out of that one."

"Why did you do that?" Chie asked, "And… how come Mitsuo didn't say anything about you?"

Souji started thinking, "He must have put him in the dark or something."

Adachi started laughing, "You think that didn't occur to me before I did it? C'mon, I'm a detective. I let him through a room at a station with a TV, switched off the lights, and did it quick while he was still startled. As long as he didn't see me push him in, and no one else did either, no one would believe him… even if he survived. Of course, I don't think the Kubo kid ever figured out what happened." He chuckled.

"The police station?" Yosuke looked confused.

Adachi explained, "Yeah, he turned himself in pretty quick, actually. This was back when we didn't even know enough to even issue a search warrant. But the other officers decided it was just a prank, so they pawned him off on me. I didn't blame them… I mean, a kid coming and saying "I did it all! It was me!" Who'd believe him? But it looked bad… I didn't think anyone would come forward and take the blame for all the incidents. The police were desperate to pin it on anyone. If this kid really did it, they might have announced the case was closed. And if that happened, Namatame would stop "saving" people. I couldn't let that happen, or the game would be over." He smiled, "That's why I told the others I sent him home. I came up with the idea to put him inside the TV on the spot."

"So…," Rion rolled his eyes, "Someone is playing a game… It's Adachi's fucking game."

"Bastard…," Souji thought.

"The game would be over?" Yukiko wondered, but saying, "You threw him in just so your fun wouldn't be end!?"

He asked viciously, "You gotta have some excitement in life, don't you agree?" He looked directly at Souji and said, "But then you guys put your foot in it yet again and ruined my fun. Thanks to you, Kubo was arrested again, and everyone acted like he was the true culprit behind it all. Couldn't they see how badly he copied the crime scene? It worked out in the end, though, because good old Namatame kept on saving people. I guess the guy started to develop some sort of messiah complex, huh? What an idiot."

"This is all a game to you…," Yosuke told Adachi, "How dare you murder people for such a stupid reason! You bastard! I'll never forgive you!"

Adachi sneered, "You can keep your forgiveness. Our world will probably become just like this place soon enough anyways."

While the others looked confused, Rion muttered, "It's already started."

Adachi explained, "Didn't you notice? The fog's leaking out. Everything on that side's pretty much screwed. The two worlds will merge soon, and then there will be no difference, no "sides" anymore."

Kanji was scared, "Th… The hell he's talking about?"

"He's talking about our world turning into the TV world," Souji said.

Rise and Teddie stepped up as Rise said, "This isn't his real body. The real Adachi is somewhere else."

Rion pushed up his glasses, "This Adachi is only a replica, a Shadow waiting for us…"

"So… this is really what pushing up Rion's glasses does", Souji thought, "Not just acting condescending… He's trying to use Ameno-waka-hiko's skills."

Teddie continued, "But this guy feels different from an ordinary Shadow… It doesn't seem like he's going berserk."

Adachi smirked as he laughed, "Wow… you can tell that much? This me is just here to greet you guys and thank you for wasting your time by chasing me in here. I'd say this world has taken a real shine to me… I feel like it's given me everything I've ever wanted. And the monsters don't attack me at all. Maybe they can tell we have the same goal?"

"The Shadows' goal?" Yukiko wondered.

Adachi explained, "By the end of the year, Inaba will disappear completely into the fog. Soon, this place will be reality. I'll be in this world, so if you want me, come and get me." He exclaimed, "This world has a mind of its own. We'll see which of us it favors!"

Kanji returned to him, "Keep your bullshit to yourself! It's about time you shut the hell up! We'll finish this right now!"

"Wait!" Souji told him as Kanji went forward to strike the invisible Adachi.

Kanji whiffed as Adachi disappeared.

The invisible Adachi spoke to them, "What a chump. Didn't I just tell you that the real me is elsewhere? I'll be expecting you all. We'll put an end to all of this."

Chie yelled, "Get back here, you!"

"It's pointless…," Souji said.

They all walked together and circled up in the middle of the room. Yosuke said, "That stuff about the world's mind, and how this place will become our reality… Was he serious?"

Naoto looked at Souji and said, "The rest of his confessions were consistent. We'd best proceed under the assumption that it's no lie."

Souji shook his head as he said, "The idea that our world… will be the same as the one we are in now…"

Rise told them, "It felt like… he gained some strong power after coming here."

Teddie continued, "Not only that… Maybe he got taken over by that power…"

Rion thought, "The fog… Adachi. If he wants the world covered by fog, someone has to be working behind the scenes with him. Together… or inside Adachi. Maybe he's not even in control."

Yukiko said, "So what he said about the two worlds becoming one… That's really gonna happen?"

Chie asked, "Didn't he say that's gonna happen by the end of this year!? What happens then!?"

"What do you think?" Souji responded.

Teddie answered, "I think he means that this world will engulf the human world. The people in town are acting weird. It's like when the Shadows that emerged from people went berserk. If the fog gets even thicker and this town gets completely cut off from the outside world… Then our side might become full of Shadows, just like here."

Rise was scared as she asked, "You mean… everyone is going to turn into Shadows!?"

Yosuke yelled, "Dammit! Damn that bastard! Why? We went through so much to get here… And now it turns out he has been pulling our strings this whole time!?"

"Not anymore," Souji exclaimed, "We'll find him before that happens."

Yosuke calmed down, "Yeah… It's about time we finished this. I don't want to feel this way ever again."

They turned to where the faux Adachi was to see a swirly black and red opening suddenly appear.

"Well… that was sudden," Souji said.

"There's a path we can take now," Rise said as well, "I sense Adachi's presence from that direction. He's taunting us."

"Bring it on!" Kanji yelled. He was ready to take on Adachi right now. He was steamed in Souji's eyes. You could tell when he said, "Let's go kick his ass, right now!"

Rion shook his head in denial.

Naoto stopped Kanji, "Wait! I suggest we prepare ourselves first. We can't let us stab in the back, ever again… We must face him with all the power at our disposal, and defeat him without fail!"

Chie shrugged as she said, "I'm a little worried by what he means "by the end of the year"… But now's not the time to freak out about that! Let's get prepared! Let's get beyond prepared and leave footprints all over his stupid, dumbass face!"

They shook their heads as they left to get ready. Rion pushed up his glasses one last time as they walked out of the TV world. Tomorrow… tomorrow they would be fighting to save the Inaba, no not Inaba… the world.

---

Okay, this took a few days longer than it should.

7-8 Chapters to go, maybe? Review if you want something changed or something added.


	27. Chapter 27

Novelization of Persona 4- Chapter 27

I own nothing of Persona, SMT, or anything of the sort. Atlus/Atlus USA does. I do own... your attention, for a short while.

Well… here we are… Magatsu Inaba. Enjoy the show. It's been too long between chapters... my fault, I know.

---

It hadn't hit Souji just how dire the situation was until the next morning when he woke up in his empty house. "The town… no, the whole world could turn into Shadows," he said, "All because of a jackass defective who thinks it's a game. Doesn't he understand the consequences of what's going to happen to us all?"

Souji left the house to walk down the floodplains to get to school, hoping not to kill himself walking there. He eventually put his glasses on, and only nearly died instead.

During lunch, Souji was surprised to hear that same annoying girl say, "They've posted the test scores!"

"I've been so busy, I've completely forgotten," Souji thought, "Nanako, Namatame, and Adachi."

As Souji walked down to the first floor, he almost didn't care that he had received the top score in the 2nd year. He had more important things to worry about right now. "We can worry about test scores once the town isn't under the threat of being turned into the TV world," he thought.

He got some support from Yukiko, "Good job…"

"Thanks…," Souji responded. He saw that Yukiko had gotten second, "You did well too."

Yukiko smiled at Souji. She knew they had more important things to worry about, too.

They walked towards Junes together. Adachi was playing a game… a game! This was the possible end of Inaba, and he was joking around with them. Souji was going to kill him.

They entered the TV world as each of them got there.

"Alright guys," Souji said, "We're here." They were in the plaza of the TV world now. "We have a defective to catch."

"We'll catch him this time," Yukiko responded.

"There's plenty of time," Yosuke told Souji.

"Let's not be careless," Rion warned, "Let's not get hurt."

When they walked into a twisted-looking Inaba, they were automatically taunted by Adachi.

"You guys actually came? Do you really have this much time on your hands? Don't you have studying to do?" Adachi asked as he taunted, "Let's go to the secret headquarters, guys! How old are you, anyways!?"

"I'm going to kick his ass," Souji said to the others.

"Wait in line," Naoto responded.

So, the first floor of "Magatsu", as they called it, began.

They walked down the first corridor to see some of the Shadows with the large tongues. It fired large electric blasts at the Persona-users. The "Mazionga!" attacks struck the party, and made all but Rion and Kanji recoil in pain. In Teddie's case, he was knocked over and turned into a fuzz ball.

"Guys…," Souji said, "Come on! I hold them off, somebody else kill it!" "Tam Lin!" "Diarahan!"

The healing magic enveloped Teddie, while Rise told Yukiko, "Ummm… I think fire is the weakness."

"Really?" Yukiko looked at Rise, while throwing her fan at the Shadows, "That's hot!"

"Hear me, Amaterasu!" "Maragion!"

The flames that burst from the fiery sun goddess knocked down the Shadows. The Persona-users charged the large-tongued monstrosities. Rion's staff struck down one with a horizontal blow. Another was cut down with Souji's long sword. Yosuke's kunai pierced a third, while Chie's kicks pounded the final one.

Yukiko fanned herself. She was already sweating. This wasn't a good sign for the group. Souji knew this was going to be the hardest place ever.

They walked through an arch before Souji felt sick. He felt himself getting weaker.

"I don't feel good," He said as he put his head down.

"You're poisoned!" Yukiko responded.

She started to treat him as Teddie looked at the end of the tunnel, "What's that?" he asked.

Rion answered, "They're Shadows…" He calmly walked towards the Shadows, "Yosuke!"

"What!?" he answered.

"We will be needing you shortly…," Rion told him.

As Souji staggered to his feet, he saw the Shadows. They had fly-like things around them, and kept trying to poison the rest of them.

"So, what did you want me to do?" Yosuke asked as he watched Naoto shoot one of them.

"They're weak to wind," Rion explained, "So… Do you need more explanation?"

"Nope…," Yosuke said as he cut through his card, "Susano-O!" "Magarula!" As the Shadows fell down, he asked the leader, "Souji, are you okay? Are you ready to go?"

"Let's do this," Souji answered, picking up his sword.

God help those Shadows.

They had only turned one more corner when floating Shadows, colored white, and shooting ice all over the place. It was turning Yukiko into a Popsicle. This pissed Souji off and he equipped a Persona by the name of "Jinn".

"Maragidyne!" The idol-ish Shadows caught on fire and started melting.

As another came up from behind to try and ambush Souji, Naoto yelled, "Yamato Takeru!" "Mudoon!" The Shadow disappeared under the black darkness.

"Okay… let's move on," Souji said afterwards.

"All right," Chie responded.

They reached the "portal" thingy, and went through. It would produce another problem.

"Umm… I can't find the stairs," Rise told them when they got there, "Umm… I don't know where we are."

Adachi started talking, "Ha! You're still here! Go home! Start studying! Go marry a cute girl, get a good job!"

"Oh, shut the hell up, will you!?" Souji yelled.

Only twenty steps after walking away from berating Adachi; they were bombarded by eagles. The Shadows were relentless in trying to rip into the group. They would be successful, except for the skill of the fighters on the edge. Yosuke's knives, Rion's swords, Kanji's chair, Naoto's gun, and Yukiko's fan defended the group against the eagles.

"It's weak against electricity!" Rise yelled.

Rise screamed as an eagle swooped down at her. Naoto covered her with a few shots to deter the Shadow.

Since Kanji's skills with electricity were lacking, Souji switched to "Thor!" "Maziodyne!"

Most of the eagles were burned to a crisp by thousands of volts of electricity. When two more came forward, Kanji came forth, "Rokuten Maoh!" "Vile Assault!"

Chie took on the other as she attacked, "Suzuka Gongen!" "Black Spot!" (She's not level 67 yet)

The only other Shadow they encountered while they were trying to find someway into the next area was one of those sand Shadows that tried to make you really tired.

"Thor!" "Ziodyne!" Souji exclaimed to turn the Shadows into glass with the extreme heat the lightning produced.

As they walked along, they reached a bunch of police tape. When they tried to go through it like the rest of it, Adachi stopped them.

"You found me!" Adachi said, "But, you didn't think I'd let you through that easily, did you?"

"We can't get through," Rise told them, "We'll have to find another way."

"Well…," Souji had repositioned his sword over his back, "Let's just figure out what to do and then take a break."

He could see that they would need it. They hadn't faced a lot of enemies, but the group had been frozen, shocked, and poisoned multiple times. They had a few days, but if it was going to take a while; Souji wasn't sure how long this would take.

Souji's team fought for a while until they found a hole. He suggested to them, "I think this is the only way to advance."

"It's a plausible solution," Rion agreed with him. He pushed up his glasses. He hadn't seen any enemies in the immediate area.

"But, before we continue…," Souji continued, "Let's go back. We're tired."

Teddie nodded, and the others agreed with the bear. They were heading out of TV world and goho-m.

Souji never knew he could be so tired after only two floors. He motioned over to his second-in-command as he was about to leave. Rion walked over, leaning on his walking stick.

"We're not going back tomorrow," Souji told him, "I've never seen us so exhausted only after a few floors."

Rion nodded, "I understand. I will take that into consideration when I rest up for our next visit."

Souji shook his head, and Rion smiled.

As Souji headed back alone, he wondered, "If it was going to take this long… will we get this done in time?"

Souji entered his lonely adobe, cutting through the thick fog. It was still so… empty here. If Souji didn't do anything, it would be permanently empty.

December 9th-

The group made their way to school, only to hear everyone worry about the fog, and the end of the world. It seemed like a common occurrence to Souji. Even the teachers were getting gas masks now and were worried about the fog. The students in 2-2 were causing havoc again and disrupting class. He still answered Kashiwagi's question on "What are the most of in the world, species-wise?" in a general sense. Souji had forgotten the exact wording on the question when he talked to the others. But, he answered, "Insects"

Souji ended up baby-sitting… actually, working at a day-care after school. The kids got lost in the fog and kept running into each other. Souji tried not to laugh as he brought a jerky kid to his mom who was rather late.

December 10th-

Again, they weren't going into the TV.

That Saturday, Souji had to waste time listening people whine about the fog again. "These people don't know when to quit," he thought, "We're working on it!"

He played basketball with Kou and roped Daisuke into playing a pickup game with them. So, Daisuke sucked and Souji's team, with Kou on his, kicked his ass; it was still fun regardless.

Walking down the flowing floodplains, Souji decided that they would have to go back to the TV tomorrow. He needed to see what was below that hole, and hopefully not die down there.

He called Rion. He was meaning to earlier, but he needed to.

"Hey," he said.

"Yeah," Rion responded, "Are we going back tomorrow?"

Rion was a psychic; Souji decided as he said, "We are. Rion… What happened between you and Naoto?"

Rion sighed over the phone, "Her grandfather made us break up. It pisses me off, but I don't know… I would be targeted otherwise."

"And here I thought they wanted her to change," Souji said, "Oh well… I'll see you tomorrow."

As Souji hung up the phone, he said to himself, "He had a hit put on him? Heh… he could deal with it."

December 11th-

School went by quickly for Souji on the 11th. He headed straight for Junes after school where he was joined by Yukiko and the others.

"Let's go everyone," Souji told them as they all entered the TV.

As they jumped into the whole, they were immediately accosted by Adachi.

"Hey, you found your way down," Adachi told them, "I'm impressed. Still… Go home…"

The first area down the hole wasn't going to be easy, and the place would prove it to them very quickly.

The first Shadow they ran into was one of those little onion king Shadows that looked like a reject from Final Fantasy in Souji's minds.

At first, Yosuke came up to it, and started whacking on it with his kunai. Then he, it spun his sword.

"What the hell is it doing!?" Yosuke asked.

One of those plant Shadows came out, and ran into Yosuke. It knocked him over.

"Damn it!" Yosuke yelled.

"Yosuke!" Souji yelled, "You deal with the king things! Rion and Chie! You deal with all of the plant-things that are forming!"

"As you command," Rion nodded, dodging one of the plants' attacks.

Yosuke attacked the king Shadow first, "Go! Susano-O!" "Garudyne!" The Shadow was blown into the air, and then disappeared into the vortex.

"Suzuka Gongen!" "Heat Drive!" Chie yelled.

"Is that all you have?" Rion smirked as two remained. "Ameno-waka-hiko!" "Hassou Tobi!"

The Shadows were shredded into little pieces.

They ran into both a one of those Shadows with the multi-colored wing on its back and the spinning tower Shadows.

The unmoving wing Shadow started casting "Bufudyne!" on Yukiko. Souji dove in front of Yukiko.

"Thanks," Yukiko said to him as she picked him up off the ground.

"Thanks. I have a plan," Souji said, "Mother Harlot!" "Ziodyne!"

The Shadow burned from the volts that ran through it, and drooped in pain. Souji finished it off with a slash with his sword.

"Do the same with the other Shadow," Rise said, "Give it a shock!"

"Okay, okay!" Souji said as he yelled, "Maziodyne!" to send lightning into the other Shadows.

They ran into a snake Shadow that just like one of the other Shadows, poisoned Souji right as they met them.

"Damn it!" Souji yelled.

"I'll take care of it," Naoto said as she pulled out her gun and shot her card, "All yours! Yamato Takeru!" "Mamudoon!"

"Was that really necessary?" Rion asked, "It was also weak against icicles."

"Shut it you…," Naoto said jokingly, watching the snakes disappear into the darkness. She had punched him lightly.

As they were about to enter the 2nd area as they were climbing the place in the hole, they were attacked. They were large grey Shadows with spires and all sorts of undulations.

They were making the Persona-users lives' hell, but they escaped without much harm. Escaping without much harm means leaving it for Rion and waiting for him to kill them and come out.

It wouldn't get any easier for them on the 2nd level.

They ran into one of those lion Shadows almost immediately. They knew from previous experiences with these kinds of Shadows that it had no weaknesses, so it was an interesting struggle.

"What do we do guys?" Teddie asked as he was blown over by the Shadow's ball-and-chain.

"Leave it to Kanji and Chie," Souji said.

So, they did…

"Suzuka Gongen!" "Rokuten Maoh!"

Plus, the fact that kunai, swords, fans, greaves, staff, and chairs followed the Personas helped their destruction.

As they turned around, a floating pot with ladies sticking out tried to choke Yukiko, which caused Souji to wildly swing his sword at them.

"Souji! Help!" Yukiko called out.

"Die, bastards!" Souji yelled at the Shadows.

Naoto came up to Souji, "I'll deal with it." "Yamato Takeru!" "Mahamaon!" Mantras rose up and the white light engulfed the demons.

"T… Thanks," Yukiko said, as she could breathe again without the Shadows' hands around her neck.

"No problem," Naoto replied.

No reprieve for the weary they would find, as two more kinds of Shadows would attack them before the portal.

The first would be a box-like Shadow that was similar to the others that would have all the silverware around it. This one, however, seemed to be asleep.

"Heh…," Souji said with his sword diagonally across his chest. He was blocking an attack from the other kind of Shadow attacking them. It was one of those large wheels with a lion's head on it. It would roll into them.

"This hurts," Yosuke said, as he spit out something that suspiciously like his tooth.

"Rise, Rion…? Any ideas?" Souji asked, "We kind of need some help here." It was true. They were being knocked around pretty badly, and only those who were strong and fast were still in good shape.

Rise focused her Persona at the table and finally said, "It's weak against fire!"

Rion's Persona's arrows had been piercing the wheels before he told the group, "Darkness is the key."

Souji confirmed Rion's answer through his attack, "Lilith!" "Mamudoon!"

"Hear me Amaterasu!" "Agidyne!" Yukiko attacked the other Shadow with searing flames. Burning cardboard could be seen throughout "Magatsu".

"Are we through?" As the group went through the portal, Souji asked. This would be the last floor for a while. The group was in bad shape. Souji had cuts all over his arms and Yosuke had a nice gash near his shoulder blade. Naoto was sporting a bruise near her temple and Teddie's fur was all ruffled. Kanji's leg was kind of sliced open, and Chie had bite marks from the lion Shadows on her left thigh. Rion had a small cut over his own right eye.

Of course, they just had to be taunted by Adachi when they went through the portal.

Adachi mocked them, "I'm bored in here. Let's play a game, okay?"

"A game!?" Rion exclaimed, "I don't want to play a game with you, you sick bastard!"

"How about… You can't touch any of the Shadows," Adachi explained, "All right… Play!"

"What kind of game is this?" Souji asked.

"This guy pisses me off!" Rise exclaimed.

"Tell me about it," Naoto agreed with the idol.

Unfortunately, they ran straight into one right away. Some plant Shadow with those swinging branches.

"Schiesse," Rion had gotten hit by one of its branches, "I'm getting careless. Dance with me," Rion said as he ducked under its swinging branches and stabbed it with his sword in a thrusting motion. As he removed it from the bark, he said, "Someone please freeze the trees."

"Byakko!" "Mabufudyne!" Souji yelled.

"Kamui!" "Mabufudyne!" Teddie followed.

"Is that good enough?" Souji asked.

"Works for me," Rion answered.

When they finished fighting, they were somehow transported to the beginning of the area.

"What the fuck!?" Souji yelled.

"I don't know!" Yukiko responded. She was about to chide him for his language, but she was pissed in her own right.

"We just have to be sure to not run into any Shadows," Naoto said.

"Shouldn't be too hard," Kanji nodded.

"Okay," Chie, "Let's do it!"

Rion was designated as the guy to direct and lead them to safety. Of course, he had to wait for them numerous times… even with a bum leg.

After dodging all of the Shadows, they reached a bunch of yellow tape, where Adachi's voice cut in again.

"Wow, you guys did it!" Adachi said it, "Since you did so well, I'll fight you!" This perked up everyone, until he said, "Nah… All you get to do is fight Shadows!"

"Oh great," Souji said as they stumbled on one those Shadows who had a key in a large circular hole while holding a gun and a handcuff in either hand.

Right away, the Shadow summoned another one.

"What the hell!?" Yosuke yelled, "Susano-O!" "Magarudyne!"

It damaged the Shadows a little, as the other Shadow summoned another one.

"More of them… Gee!" Rise exclaimed.

"Bearsona! Mabufudyne!" Teddie yelled.

As soon as you killed one, another one would come.

"Amaterasu! "Maragidyne!" Yukiko attacked.

"Mother Harlot!" "Maziodyne!" Souji tried to kill them off.

Naoto shot her gun at them, "Yamato Takeru!" "Megidola!"

It wasn't like they weren't trying either. Their swords, chairs, knives, kicks, fans, and bullets were doing damage as well.

Souji finally relented, "Rion, can you take care of this?"

"I thought you would never ask," Rion said with a smirk. He pushed up his glasses as the gunfire flashed around him.

"Hurry up already!" Naoto yelled.

"Keep your pants on!" Rion yelled back.

"Don't tell me what to do!" She exclaimed.

"Both of you shut up!" Souji chided, "And Rion! You kill it!"

"You aren't any fun," Rion as he drew his smallest blade and pierced his card over his chest, "Rise and resurrect Ameno-waka-hiko!" "It just is not your lucky day… Hassou Tobi!"

The arrows came flying towards the four Shadows flew straight and true. It pierced each of them in the head and killed them instantly.

"See, that wasn't so bad," Rion smiled as his Persona disappeared.

"Says you with no injuries at all," Chie remarked.

"Take a look at Rise," Rion told her, "I have a cut over my eye."

"Oh… whoop tee do," Souji said. But, he in reality, Rion was hiding the fact using his Persona tires him out a lot.

Adachi interrupted their tirade, "I guess you guys are better than I expected. But how long will you last?"

"Until we kick your ass!" Souji said to no one in particular.

They crashed right after finishing that floor. That battle drained the group of all of their energy. Souji almost fell to his knees. Chie did, in fact, fall to her knees after fighting the fuzzy Shadow. Yosuke helped her up, and they stumbled their way up and out of the TV world.

"So much for finishing this quickly," Souji thought as he walked back slowly with Yukiko to the bus stop.

If nothing less, her hand was warm until she reached the bus stop. Then Souji made sure her lips were warm for a few seconds.

Souji walked back solemnly to Dojima's house after letting Yukiko go. Were they going to finish this in time? I mean… this would take more time for the others to recover than probably ever before. Rion's injuries in Nanako's area caused him to miss only a few days because of repeated healing spells, but maybe overusing it here could be damaging for Souji and the others. And this… would not be something they could afford.

Souji filled up an ice pack when he got back, and placed it on his left shoulder. It felt good to have the pain numbed, but it didn't remove the nagging feeling of the overwhelming fog awaiting them.

December 12th-

Souji walked into school unsure of what he was going to do besides clutching an icepack to his shoulder. Luckily, the cuts on his arms were all cleaned up by now. After hearing everyone in the classroom whine about the fog, Souji had to figure what to do after school.

He finally decided to practice his acting skills of all things. For once, he was about as depressing as his acting partner.

December 13th-

Again, after a healthy breakfast, Souji had to listen to worried people about the fog. "I know the fog is going to kill us all!" Souji thought, "Deal with it!"

He just kicked ass on the basketball court after school to work off his anger. "I should challenge the others to a game," Souji thought as he hit an eighteen-footer.

December 14th-

Souji had checked up on the others yesterday, and most of them were still fatigued. So, they were spending another day away from the TV.

As Souji walked to the school he heard girls talking…

"You know, I'm getting kind of use to the idea of the end of the world."

"It actually sounds kind of cool. Seeing the end of the world, and all."

"Yeah, I know."

"These people are nuts," Souji shook his head.

As he walked Yukiko back after school, hand-in-hand… He had some happy thoughts, "If we make it through this… We'll be together… I promise."

December 15th-

They met at the TV world after school. How far they would go today, Souji didn't know how far they would get, but they were slowly running out of days.

So, they made their way to "Magatsu" unsure of themselves, and getting nervous.

"Let's get moving," Souji said.

"I'm ready when you are," Yosuke responded.

The fourth area would only be a bigger pain and only cause more injuries. Something that was very unsettling for Yukiko and Teddie, their healers.

Souji was very unsettled when a large sword tried to slice Yukiko in half.

"Souji!" she yelled for help.

"You need to retaliate against it!" Souji responded.

"Oh…," Yukiko said, "Amaterasu! Agidyne!" as the Shadow burned.

Souji finished it a sword strike.

"Good teamwork," Chie congratulated them.

"Umm guys…," Souji said, "Those dancing swords-lady Shadows are back."

Souji swore he saw Rion smile. He saw Yosuke and Chie fighting them, kunai and kicks flashing. They were diving under sword blows and flames were being spitted out.

He saw Rion dive into battle with his swords, and Souji joined him with his own.

Naoto drew her gun and fired at one of them as she said, "Teddie, Yukiko… heal them."

Kanji stood in front of the healers and made sure no one came near them, lest one of them strike of them with a sword.

It seemed like the amount of dancing Shadows were endless, and they were being close to overrun. Rion was still moving in and out of their blades, while jumping over of the open flames. He slit one of the Shadows' throats, while seeing Chie punt another into the sky.

"We need to get out of here…," Souji told them, wiping his chin of blood.

"Fine…," Rion said, as he finished off one more Shadow by parrying it and lifting it off the ground with his sword thrust.

They all ran from the Shadows and some minimal healing began. But before it could be finished, another Shadow attacked. A wavy type of Shadow that looked like strands of DNA attacked them.

"Shit…," Kanji muttered as his chair did minimal damage.

"Rise... What's it weak against?" Souji asked.

"Darkness… and light," Rise explained. She was out of breath from running.

"Mother Harlot!" "Mamudoon!" Souji crushed his card.

His darkness missed one as the Shadow came over and hit him.

"Souji!" Yukiko called out to him.

"Yamato Takeru!" "Hamaon!" Naoto came to his rescue.

"Thanks…," Souji expressed as the white light covered the Shadow.

Teddie told the group, "Let's get out of here."

They got out of the TV world after going through the portal to the next area. Goho-m never felt so good.

Souji threw up from exhaustion. One floor… they only made it through one floor. Imagine that… they were in trouble, serious trouble.

December 16th-

Hot showers were supposed to be relaxing for sore muscles…except, Souji ran out of hot water before he could feel any change in his condition.

"Damn…," Souji muttered, "How can we deal with this when we struggled so much?"

If this one floor was so difficult… if the areas above them were even harder… they could die before the fog covered the world. That thought scared Souji.

The constant murmurs and worrying about fog was not the biggest concern today. It was the sight of stress and exhaustion on the various faces of the Persona users' faces.

Souji didn't do anything after school and just headed back home to ice himself down. He went to the freezer and filled his ice bag. Souji did not know where to put it first. It would be painful to sleep that night.

December 17th-

To see the group's faces as they went to school. They still weren't any better. Pained looks were on their faces. The one with the least amount of pain was obviously Rise, and she obviously felt sorry for the rest of them. Souji wondered if Rion's look of pain was for his previous injuries, running on it all the time. Souji couldn't worry about it. Still, Rion gestured Yosuke and Souji over after school.

"Yeah, what is it?" Yosuke asked.

"We need to go back tomorrow," Rion told them.

Souji thought about it. He was probably right. It was getting close to the deadline.

"Are you crazy!?" Yosuke exclaimed, "We're still beaten up. We can't handle this."

"If we do not finish this, and catch Adachi… will it matter what happens to us?" Souji asked. He said what Rion was thinking.

Yosuke relented, "I understand. I'll tell them."

Souji nodded. He now had to try to rest himself as best he could to get ready for a fight he was not prepared for.

So, Souji went to bed early and heat and ice was his friend.

December 18th-

Even with some resistance, Chie was still against going back after what happened a few days ago, they went into the TV. They were becoming a ragged bunch, and Souji had to have gone through four jackets by now. The only good news is that Souji visited Margaret and made a new and special Persona while he was there.

The fifth area of "Magatsu" after dropping in the hole was a dash to get through this place as fast as possible. That was Souji's idea. It seemed like a good idea because the swords-lady Shadows had returned and Rion was taking care of them as they ran.

They reached the sixth area, and were very sorry. It could only produce stronger Shadows.

How could it be that they ran into three different types of Minotaur Shadows as soon as they turned the first corner?

"You have got to be kidding me!" Souji exclaimed as he swung at one and he bounced off.

"Oh, that sucks," Rion muttered. He had struck one of the others, doing a small amount of damage.

"Ziodyne!" rang out from one of the Minotaur, making Teddie's hair stand on end.

"Teddie, are you okay!?" Rise asked.

"I'm not doing b-eary well...," he answered.

"Strike that one," Rion pointed at the one that knocked Souji over, "With electricity."

"It's time…," Souji said, "Trumpeter!" "Ziodyne!"

"Nice…," Yosuke said, watching the Minotaur Shadow being shocked. "Woah!" he said suddenly as he barely dodged being run over by one of the others.

Rise said, "I think… use fire on that one!" she pointed at the black and purple one.

"Okay," Yukiko said as she struck the card with her fan, "Amaterasu!" "Agidyne!" "Burn!" She was chuckling as it went up in flames, which scared Souji.

"Umm… a little help here?" Naoto shot at the third one and Teddie was trying to claw at it after he healed himself.

"Leave it to me," Yosuke said, "Go, Susano-O!" "Garudyne!" He watched the Minotaur Shadow be blown away.

"Now that they're all on the ground… let's blow them away!" Souji commanded.

"All right!" Kanji yelled as they rushed the group. The amount of weapons that met the three Shadows almost made Souji feel sorry for them, almost.

Souji stopped feeling sorry for them when he was run into by a Shadow when he turned around.

"What the fuck!?" he yelled.

It was basically a tank with turrets… if the Shadow tank was a big circular machine with guns on it.

"What do we do!?" Yukiko exclaimed as it rained more blasted on the group.

She was the weakest, defense-wise, and big blasts from cannon-like turrets were not good for her.

"I'll do it," Naoto said, "Mudoon!"

The tank responded by shooting Naoto… luckily Rion and Kanji were there to catch her.

"Thanks," she said.

"Bearsona!" "Bufudyne!" Teddie yelled. The turrets were frozen, and the bullet was frozen in mid-shot.

Souji went up and shattered the tank with his sword. "About time," he said.

They were going in left turns, over and over. What was scary was encountering a Shadow that looked like teddy bears.

"Ooh, I have a key chain that looks like these," Chie said.

"Do these key chains use Megidoloan?" Rion asked as he was knocked over by the blast.

She answered, "Uh… no."

Being blasted by powerful "Megidoloan!" attacks was very detrimental for something that Souji treasured. That was his jacket."

"Yamato Takeru!" "Mahamaon!" Naoto called out. They disappeared.

"I was about to go postal on them," Souji explained to her.

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" Yosuke asked.

Souji shook his head, "Let's just move on."

Rion pushed up his glasses.

There was another bunch of yellow tape when they reached the end of those left turns. Of course, that meant there was another Shadow in the way before they could open it.

A real-looking tank Shadow that kept shooting at Teddie to try and turn him into fuzz was what they stumbled upon.

They saw Souji crush his card, "Trumpter!" "Ziodyne!"

"That was too easy," Yukiko said, "I wonder what's on the other side of the tape?"

"It won't be Adachi," Kanji added.

He was right. It was a large humanoid-wire Shadow with a sword in one hand, and a balance in the other.

Rion sighed as he pushed up his glasses, "The fun never ends."

"This guy is tough, be careful!" Rise warned.

Rise was not lying.

"Megidoloan!" was the attack the Shadow it lead off with, knocking down Yukiko, Teddie, Chie, and Naoto.

"Oh, come on!" Yosuke yelled, "Susano-O! Brave Blade!"

Yosuke followed up by picking Chie up off the ground, who would then kicked her card, "Suzuka Gongen!" "Power Charge!"

"Rokuten Maoh!" "Primal Force!" Kanji exclaimed to damage the Shadow.

"Rion, quit fooling around!" Souji yelled, who was stabbing the Shadow with his staff that was now a naginata.

"You're no fun!" Rion said, "Ameno-waka-hiko!" "Debilitate!" "Power Charge!"

"Yamato Takeru!" "Deathbound!" Naoto had shot her card.

"Mediarahan!" Yukiko was healing the group, who needed it.

"Megidoloan!" the Shadow attack again, to great effect.

"Dammit!" Souji yelled, "Ishtar!" "Mediarahan!"

Chie finished her attack, "God's Hand!"

Rion finished his attack, "Heat Riser!" His Persona encircled the Shadow, "Dance with me, Hassou Tobi!"

Souji laughed at the damage it caused. It was a pincushion.

As it prepared to use "Megidoloan!" again, it was interrupted by someone else's attack.

Naoto attacked, "Megidoloan!" "Impersonator…," She muttered.

"Brave Blade!" Yosuke called out.

"God's Hand!" Chie yelled.

"Hassou Tobi!" Rion again disrupted the Shadow's attack.

Kanji stopped the Shadow, "Primal Force!"

"Mediarahan!" Yukiko called out to heal after one of the attacks did get through.

One more "Brave Blade!" finally made the Shadow fall, which made Souji quite happy.

"At last," Souji said, with his head down. He had a headache after being blasted. Maybe he had a concussion?

Rise told them, "I can feel his power weakening. Maybe we can get through that barrier that we could not get through earlier."

"Where was that?" Kanji asked. He looked confused and woozy, for that matter.

"The place where the hole was," Rion answered.

"Oh…," Kanji replied.

"Let's just get out of here," Souji said, "We're in no shape to get Adachi." But, he was still worried about the time crunch they were under.

Dec 21st-

Souji wondered where the time went. Where did it go? It seemed to have flown out the window as they recovered from all of the various injuries from their past visits. As he returned home, he got a call.

It was Rion, and it couldn't be good news.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" Souji responded with a question.

"We have very little time left," Rion responded, "Three days at the most."

"You're right," Souji said.

"Everyone is getting worried."

"Tomorrow," Souji told him, "We catch Adachi. If he's actually behind that barrier… We're taking his ass down."

"Understood…," Rion responded, "I'll call them."

Souji sighed. He knew that time would fly on them, but it really did go quickly. Souji just could not account for how tough this place would be. As he went to bed, he had a nagging feeling that this battle would be one of the longest he had ever faced.

December 22nd-

They had met at Junes beforehand.

"So, this is it," Naoto said, "There is nothing standing in our way now."

"Positive," Souji said, "This is the day."

"All right!" Chie exclaimed, "Let's do it!"

"I wish I had your enthusiasm," Rion said, pushing up his glasses.

"The day your excited about something is the day Teddie dates one of the girls here," Souji said with a smirk.

"Well… I can't say I wasn't excited when Naoto came and…," Rion was saying when Naoto covered his mouth.

"I think that's all that needs to be said," she said, "Let's just go and catch Adachi."

Souji chuckled as they went into the TV world.

As they walked to the scary room, Rion said quietly to her, "I wasn't going to say anything that bad."

"Sure you weren't," Naoto responded, "I know you."

They made their way to the barrier, beating up weak Shadows along the way.

"Are you guys ready?" Rise asked.

Souji nodded, "Let's get him." He was thinking, "Oh, I'm going to kick his ass."

They ran up to a circular platform after running down a path covered in twisted stop signs and traffic signs. The police tape was strewn across the ground. And standing in the center of this circular platform was… Tohru Adachi. He was no longer the Defective in Souji's mind… just a sick bastard. Souji was in the front of the group, flanked by Chie and Naoto. He was standing just in front of Rion, who's hands were only inches away from his swords.

Adachi turned around at hearing the footfalls of the Persona-users and began clapping. It made Souji sick to his stomach as Adachi said to them, "Wow, I'm surprised you made it this far."

Naoto interrogated him to the right of Souji, "Allow me confirm the crimes you've committed thus far. You had suspicions that this world was dangerous, yet you threw Mayumi Yamano into the TV. Knowing full well that Ms. Yamano died here, you did the same to Saki Konishi."

Adachi sighed in annoyance as he put his hand to his head.

Naoto continued, "Not only that, but you duped Namatame into taking over your murder attempts, while you watched like a spectator at a game. When the disappeared stopped dying, you sent a warning letter to ensure more victims. Even when a copycat killer arose, you had the gall as a detective to eliminate a suspect under investigation." Naoto was pissed like no one had ever seen as she continued, "Two people died in the last six months, and a young girl is in critical condition… But that's not all. If it any turn, something had gone wrong, many more would have succumbed…" She yelled at Adachi, "All for some foolish "excitement", like a criminal reveling in the chaos he creates!"

Adachi seemed unfazed by her diatribe, "Yeah? So what's your point? All I did was put people in here. It's the world that really kills them, isn't it? This world reflects people's thoughts." He said with a smirk, "Which… Oh dear… Does that mean the real culprits are everyone on the outside, including you?"

As that thought went through their heads, "What a messed up guy this is," Souji thought.

"To hell with that!" Yosuke responded vehemently, "You did that stuff knowing full well that those people were going to die! If that's not murder, then what is!?"

Adachi laughed at the headphone-wearing boy, "You're so self-righteous."

"How can you say that!? Aren't you a police officer!?" Chie asked him, "Out of everything you could've been, didn't you specifically choose to join the police!?"

Rion sighed, "He obviously didn't give a damn about protecting people. So, he is not planning to uphold the honor of the country."

Adachi obviously agreed with Rion's statement as he sneered, "Don't make me laugh… Just because someone joins the police doesn't make them some "agent of justice". Do you know why I applied? So I could legally care a gun… That's all." He pointed at Naoto's side arm. "You'd be surprised at how many are like that."

"You sicken me," Souji told Adachi.

"I thought it would be fun, too, but to tell the truth that was a wash. Everyone around me was such an idiot," Adachi explained as he walked forward, "I made one tiny mistake and they all got on my case and sent me out here to Nowheresville as my punishment." His voice rose in anger as he continued, "I was bored shitless and wondering what to do next… when I discovered this power."

Kanji yelled at Adachi, "For crying out loud… why a bastard like you!?"

Adachi responded, "A gift for having to put up with this lame job in Nowheresville, I guess. I did this stuff, 'cause I could. And it got interesting, so I watched."

"That's your reason!? You can't be serious!?" Yukiko exclaimed.

"You are a sick bastard," Souji told him.

"You really don't care what happens to our world, do you!?" Yukiko asked with anger.

Adachi elucidated, "Let's be honest. There's nothing great about the real world, is there? It's just dull and annoying as hell. No one accepts that's the way things are… They're just stuck with it because they can't deny it either. Those who actually succeed in life… They're just born with that magical ticket called "talent". If you don't have it, you can either accept or deny that fact until the day you die. That's your only choice."

It was making Souji sick and wanting to kill Adachi simultaneously.

Adachi continued, "Once you realize that, all you have left in life is despair. The ultimate game over." He asked, "Wouldn't it be better if that kind of reality was wiped away?"

Rise responded, "That's complete BS!"

Adachi answered her, "Brats like you are so damned naïve… You piss me off! Listen… You might have hopes and dreams right now, but that's only because you know nothing about reality. One day you'll see… You'll be faced with the boring reality that boxes you in, no matter where you go."

Kanji yelled at him, "You're the only boring thing here! If you wanna disappear, go ahead! Stop dragging us into it!"

Adachi sighed as he rebuked Kanji, "Stop yelling, punk. I understand you're all afraid and gotta act tough to cover up your fear, but geez. I'm telling you all this based on my own experience in life." He told them, "Think about it for a second. Once everyone turns into Shadows… they'll still keep on living, oblivious to everything around them. So how's that different to the way things are now? No, this'll make things much easier for everyone."

Yosuke was confused, "Easier? What the hell are you talking about!?"

Souji wasn't sure either as he thought, "Is he saying we're already oblivious to the events of the world?"

Adachi started pacing as he explained, "C'mon! How many people out there actually think about what's real, or what's right and wrong? Next to none, I bet. It's useless to think about those things in the first place. You don't get anything out of facing reality, and there's no way to change it either. I mean, what could be more boring than brooding over things you can't change? It's better than to just ignore them and believe only what you want to believe in life. Doesn't that sound a lot easier? It would be awesome if life everyone's life were that easy. No matter who you are, your lifespan is about 80 years or so, right? Then it'd be easier if we all just became Shadows."

Rion muttered, "I guess you've never heard of the phrase, "Live life to the fullest.""

Adachi continued, "No need to hold back anything… No more pretending we don't see things." Adachi turned to them, "Honestly, we don't need our world anymore. Better to let it be swallowed up, and let mankind become Shadows. That's what all those people who're scared to death really want… So it's my duty to see that they get it."

Chie was the first to respond, "Nobody wants anything like that! It's just you, dumbass!"

Adachi responded with a smirk, "Geez… Don't you remember what it was like when your Shadow came out? It must have been enjoying life far more than you!"

"I wouldn't know," Souji told him.

Adachi suddenly started changing. Purple flames started enveloping him as Teddie said, "Be careful! I dunno what's happening!"

Adachi had turned… into a Shadow.

"_You all saw Shadows as mere monsters, didn't you_!?" Shadow Adachi asked with vengeance, _"These things move on pure instinct! They go wild because you defy them! You annoying little brats are the ones not wanted in the new world!"_

Yukiko's voice cut into the Shadow, "Speak for yourself! Living is too painful for you, but you don't want to die… Of course no one would understand! It makes no sense! You're just throwing a tantrum like a kid who can't have his way!"

Naoto spoke next, "People can't live alone. If you give in and sever your ties to human society, it will naturally become hard to live in it. Yet you refuse to face life and admit your fault, running from your own humanity like a coward. And though you claim to find life troublesome, you caused nothing but trouble for others! Your twisted logic is nothing but that of an immature, egoistical brat!"

"You say people can not change," Rion spoke as he pushed up his glasse, "We all have changed based on the very Shadows that came from us. If we did not change, we would not be standing before you. The only person that would dare ignore reality is someone who thinks everyone has the same experiences as you!"

Souji went after Adachi, "You say those with talent are the ones who succeed. I see those around us with talent, brilliant people." He looked at Rise, Rion, Naoto, and everyone else, "Yet, they suffered all the same. Talent isn't everything, and there is no such thing as a magic ticket. If you want to change the world, do it without harming others!"

Adachi was mad, _"Sh… Shut up! Stop trying to act all tough! You guys can't even stand on your own two feet unless you deny everything I said!"_ He clutched his head, _"S… Stupid teenagers! You have no idea what kinda shit I've been through!"_

Yosuke would be the final attacker, "Favored by the world, my ass! I'm just gonna say it flat out… You're just a worthless criminal!"

Adachi groaned in pain as the flames covered him, _"Ngh…!"_

As he was covered by the darkness, Rise told him, "Here he comes. This will probably be our last battle… Let's him with everything we've got!"

They ran towards the darkness that contained Adachi. Adachi had walked forward to meet them carrying a pistol, similar to the one Naoto carried.

The Shadow Adachi resounded, _"The world is about to change… Your existence won't belong there! I thought I could just leave you be, but you're like a plague… I'll have to get rid of all of you!"_

"You're the plague!" Chie responded.

Yosuke exclaimed, "I wish we could get rid of you, but we'll just make sure you'll pay for what you've done!"

"_Shut up! Get lost! Get the hell out of my sight!"_ Shadow Adachi yelled.

"I can't believe he's the one!" Rise told them, "That bastard! We can't lose, no matter what!"

"I'm taking him down!" Yosuke yelled, "Go, Susano-O!" "Brave Blade!"

Souji, seeing Adachi about to attack, jumped in front of Yosuke and summoned a Persona just in time, "Izanagi!" He was lucky. Because the Persona that was summoned from Adachi had casted "Mudoon!" and that would taken down both "Susano-O" and maybe even Yosuke as well.

Yosuke picked himself off the ground… realizing how close he was to not making it out of there he said, "Thanks partner."

"_Hahaha!"_ Adachi laughed, _"I told you! Get lost!"_

"What!? A Persona!? But that can't be!" Rise yelled.

Adachi attacked with his Persona. His Persona looked just like Souji's original Persona. "Izanagi", except… it was red, green, and black. It used "Vorpal Blade!" and sent everyone flying except Souji. He held his ground.

The others couldn't come to help because when they tried, "Vorpal Blade!" followed.

"Damn it!" Yukiko used a rare curse, "We can't help him."

"It may be up to him," Naoto said woefully.

Souji cursed his luck as he raised his sword against Adachi… only to have it shot out of his hands.

"_Hahaha!"_ Adachi laughed, _"Don't feel so tough now!"_

"Izanagi!" Souji had been fusing like crazy and created his old Persona, except he went "bear crazy" with it.

"Just don't get hit by the wind…," Souji told his Persona as it locked blades with the "Matgasu Izanagi".

Every time Souji tried to pick up his sword, however, he was shot at by Adachi. He wasn't exactly making progress.

"_Damn brat! Just let me finish you off!"_ Adachi yelled at Souji as the high school student's "Izanagi" finally made contact on the other.

Unfortunately, he was hit by "Garudyne!" almost immediately afterwards, and Souji was knocked to the ground by "Vorpal Blade!" after that.

"He needs help!" Yukiko exclaimed.

"If I can't fight him, and Izanagi can't duel him…," Souji thought, as he picked himself and wiped the blood off his chin.

He stopped for a second as he heard someone speak from the side, "Souji taught me I don't have to always worry about others like Yukiko. I can depend on others too!"

It was Chie. As she spoke, "Suzuka Gongen" joined the fight against Adachi's Persona and immediately took over the fight against "Magatsu Izanagi"

As Adachi readied to shoot Souji, Souji made use of those training session where he was sure he probably sterilized by the outcome of those spars by landing a blow with his right leg into Adachi's gut.

"_Dammit!"_ Adachi yelled as he started firing randomly as his Persona started taking command of the battle again.

"You helped me get over my troubles, and become best friends. Even when I was jealous of you, we stayed friends," it was Yosuke.

"Susano-O" was now pounding on Adachi's Persona and Yosuke had thrown his kunai to Souji, who barely caught them.

Souji deftly threw them at Adachi, who barely got out of the way.

"Nice use of my weapons," Yosuke said.

Souji heard another voice.

"Even when people misunderstood me, you helped 'em understand, y'know?" it obviously was Kanji as "Rokuten Maoh" slammed into "Magatsu Izanagi".

Though what Souji was going to do with a large shield-like object against Adachi, he wasn't sure.

He found a good use for it after all. Adachi had started firing on Souji, and Souji was blocking bullets with it.

"Even if I still don't know who I am… even if I'm a Shadow, you're still helping me figure out where I fit in!" Teddie was about crying.

Teddie didn't throw his weapon into the fray, but freezing Adachi's Persona with "Bufudyne!" was good enough.

Adachi was getting pissed, _"Dammit! I'll kill you! Just like I killed the other ones!"_

"Like hell you will kill Souji," It was Rion speaking with a knowing smirk and glasses pushed up, "I know no matter how much of a jackass I am, I have a bigger one at my side. I don't have to fight alone because we've already won."

Souji finally drew blood on Adachi's Shadow when he finally figured out how to make Rion's staff a naginata, and then stabbed him.

He heard Naoto's voice. It was unnaturally high, "You helped me face myself. If it wasn't for you…"

Discarding Rion's weapon, he picked up Naoto's pistol and began a shootout with Adachi's Shadow. Running in a circle, across from Adachi as he ran parallel from him, exchanging shots… trying to hit each other, the pair was trying to deliver the finishing blow. Eventually, Souji ran out of bullets… and the firefight ended up fruitless.

Shadow Adachi walked up to Souji, and prepared to fire his last bullet into Souji's head, fulfilling his promise. Yet, Souji heard the one voice he wanted to hear most.

"You… you taught me that I didn't have to run away from my problems. That I could cherish those I care about. Most of all, you made me fall in love."

Souji caught the fan in midstride, and struck Adachi's Shadow over the forehead as he flourished it. The Shadow clutched his chest, and fell to his knees.

It was over. Adachi… was over. He said to him, Shadow gone, "D… Damn… This is lame… Ngh… Oh well… Our world's gonna disappear soon no matter what… I didn't have anywhere to go back to anyways. Everyone's gonna become Shadows!" He chuckled as he cried out in pain.

Rion pushed up his glasses, "Why don't you show us your real form…" as the other looked at him inquisitively.

The rest of them would be shocked as black fire ascended from Adachi and he rose from the ground. He was now floating and was the color black… only his eyes were yellow.

"What the…!?" Chie exclaimed.

In a droning, monotonic voice, this new Shadow said, _"All humans… will become Shadow... And I shall descent upon this world as the master of orders."_

Yosuke was confused, "Descend…? Order…? What's with this guy all of a sudden?"

It seemed Kanji was confused as well, "What's happening!?"

Rise said, "Guys… This isn't Adachi! This is someone completely different!"

"_Both this world and yours will soon be enveloped in a fog that never lifts,"_ The new guy, Shadow said, _"It will be the peaceful world that mankind yearns for."_

"Who are you!?" Naoto asked.

"_I am Ameno-sagiri,"_ It told her.

"It seems… we have found that which has possessed Adachi, and the Lord of the Fog or mist," Rion explained.

"_I rule the fog, and one awakened by man's desires,"_ Ameno-sagiri said, confirming Rion's explanation, _"Do what you will, but your world's erosion cannot be stopped. It is an inevitability. You played your part well, stirring up the will of the masses into madness. But that will soon come to an end… Mankind will soon become Shadows, and live on in the darkness of the fog, oblivious of their reality."_

Yosuke wasn't taking this, "What the hell are you!? Why are you doing this!?"

Ameno-sagiri answered, _"I am the one who shepherds humans to their true desires."_

"How could this be humankind's true desire?" Souji asked, "I wouldn't want this."

Ameno-sagiri explained, _"Though their hearts longed for peace, it could never be attained. So they tore down the wall between image and reality. Indeed, this is the outcome that mankind desires. And mankind's desires are my desires. That is why I decided to expand this world."_

Kanji asked, incredulous, "Y… You're saying that you're the one that created this nasty-ass world!?"

"_This is the part of the sea of unconsciousness that exists within human hearts," _Ameno-sagiri told Kanji, _"A hollow forest born from bloated desire and false imagery. Humans view things as they see fit. They wish not for the truth, but rather prefer the undesirables be hidden within the fog. Still, humans fear what they cannot see. That brief yearning for truth becomes a ray of light which becomes a ray of light which breaks the fog and torments the Shadows." _

Yukiko put her head down as she said, "That's why they attack and kill whoever is nearby at the time. A hollow forest… Then this place isn't just affected by people's hearts… It actually exists inside them?"

"_Mankind abandoned its pursuit of the truth, placing itself in the depths of chaos and falsehood. Thus, my strength has grown, and the fog will not lift," _The Lord of the Fog explained, _"Your world will be engulfed by the hollow forest."_

Chie yelled at him, "Will you shut up already!? We'll just use our power to beat the shit out of you, and it'll be all over!"

Ameno-sagiri made a shocking revelation, _"It was I who made it possible for you to bring about this destiny. I bestowed power upon those who could brave the hollow forest. That was what allowed you to come in contact with this world. And you have done very well since."_

"Bestowed power? Contact with this world?" Yukiko was thinking out loud before she said to the Lord of the Fog, "You mean the power to enter the TV!?"

"Was the Midnight Channel also your doing!?" Souji asked. "I want answers," Souji thought.

"_Humans fail to see things as they are. They choose to see them only as they want them to be. I acted only in support of this. A world filled with desires… Viewed through a window, from which one sees what they want to see. Humans departed from reality of their own volition, creating more false images,"_ Ameno-sagiri said.

"A window that shows people what they want to see," Naoto said.

"So that's why people who suddenly got famous suddenly appeared on the Midnight Channel, one after another," Rise added, "It was all in people's minds."

"If he's using that angle," Rion pushed up his glasses, "Then the image of Yukiko wanting to find a prince to take her away happened because she supposedly never had a boyfriend… Kanji being… because of what people say about him. It was easy to picture Rise as a sex object because she was an idol. Why not picture a suspect as someone who no one could find as someone taunting everyone? And the mysterious Naoto that even she had her own doubts on… why not give her the idea of wanting to be a boy? Even me… With someone with anger issues that hides emotions and cannot accept what he thinks, why not have an inner struggle?"

"Damn…," Souji muttered. He said, "So, the fact that people were scared of the fog, decided to show them the world was ending. So, now it is."

"I have to say, it must be true…," Naoto replied to everything that was said, "The Midnight Channel we saw in Namatame's room… That kept bothering me. What we saw there wasn't Namatame's true intentions at all."

Yukiko replied, "So, it came on because we were all thinking, "This person must be the killer, he can't be forgiven"?"

Rion muttered, "Most of us…"

Naoto shook her head, "Ngh… We let ourselves be deluded."

Ameno-sagiri began speaking again in the same monotone voice that was similar to Rion, _"Exactly… The more false images that one yearns for, the more one stops yearning for reality. And so the forest grows on… That is the expansion of this world."_

Kanji yelled at it, "Enough talk already! Long story short, you're the one behind all this!"

"Yeah, I dunno who you are, but you're going down!" Yosuke proclaimed, "People want to become Shadows!? Their desire is your desire!? To hell with that! When did we ever wish for that crap anyways!? We kept fighting and fighting like morons to get to where we're standing!"

"_Yes… That I did not foresee," _Ameno-sagiri told Yosuke, _"The ability to master your own Shadow once it emerged to kill you, and use its power. A new and uncertain facet of mankind… Is it worthy for me to put my trust in, or not? It must be tested."_

Flames rose from Ameno-sagiri… and Shadows started flying into Adachi. Not just a few Shadows, but numerous amounts. A staggering amount, much more that flew into Namatame when he turned into Kunino-sagiri. The power that was emanating from the transformation was shocking. Suddenly, the creature disappeared into the ground of black bubbles. It was like acid.

"Oh…," Rise suddenly said as the ground shook and from the acidic ground ascended a giant sphere with a giant eye. It was black with rainbow lines encircling it. She said, "And this… Is the cause of all the fog?"

Rion said to her, "This is… Ameno-sagiri."

"_Be warned… I have come to put you all to the test,"_ It told them.

Yosuke exclaimed, "Like we give a damn what you came for!"

Kanji yelled, "You've done what you've wanted so far, but that'll end when we crush you!"

"Precisely," Naoto agreed.

"And we know what we've got to do now," Chie said.

"I don't want people to turn into Shadows," Teddie told it.

"We'll defeat it for sure," Yukiko proclaimed.

"You don't stand a chance," Rion said.

"I'll back you up with everything I've got," Rise told the group.

Souji thought of everything they've done together, and how hard this was going to be. He was still sore and beat up from beating up the real Adachi, but this was the real thing. He said to the Lord of the Fog, "You have no right to exist! Death awaits you!"

So, it began… the fight to rid the fog from their world.

Ameno-sagiri spoke to them, _"To defy me is a senseless act which goes against your world's wishes. Now… let everything vanish into the sweet fog of illusion."_

"This is the end! This time, it's all over!" Yukiko exclaimed.

"Take it down!" Souji told them.

"It's huge!" Teddie said in amazement.

"_Let us begin…,"_ Ameno-sagiri said.

"Time to kill it!" Souji yelled, "Trumpeter!" "Mind Charge!"

Rion drew the smallest blade and said calmly, "Ameno-waka-hiko!" "Debilitate!" He casted "Heat Riser!" on himself after that. The weakened enemy would make it slightly easier to kill.

Chie broke her card, "Suzuka Gongen!" "Power Charge!"

"Go, Susano-O!" "Brave Blade!" Yosuke cut through his card.

"Here now!" "Primal Force!" Kanji's "Rokuten Maoh" attacked the massive foe.

"Kamui!" "Matarukaja!" Teddie strengthened the group except for Rion, which couldn't be strengthened anymore.

"Yamato Takeru!" "Vorpal Blade!" Naoto's miniature Persona struck the monster with multiple slashes.

Unfortunately for Yukiko, it followed with "Mabufudyne!" and then "God's Judgement!" on her. She was frozen and then axes of light slammed into her.

Icicles abound scattered upon the group. Even Souji was not immune to try and thaw out his arm. He yelled at Teddie, "Heal Yukiko!"

"Okay! Diarahan!" Teddie responded to Souji.

Rion was still prepping for his first attack, "Heat Riser!" This defense and agility-raiser went to Chie, while he used "Power Charge!" on himself.

The first major attack came from Chie when "Suzuka Gongen" attacked with "God's Hand!"

The massive power that struck Ameno-sagiri staggered it for only a moment… enough for Souji to get in an attack on Ameno-sagiri, at least.

"Trumpeter!" "Ziodyne!" he yelled to strike the monster.

It was a shock to its system, but it responded with "God's Judgement!" which didn't really work too well. Then it followed with "Ageneyastra!"

That was painful to everyone. It knocked over Chie, Yosuke, and Naoto. So, it followed up "Maziodyne!" Sure, it reflected back because of Souji, but it fried Teddie.

"Teddie!" Yukiko yelled, "Amaterasu!" "Diarahan!"

"Rokuten Maoh!" "Primal Force!" Kanji blasted it again.

"Susano-O!" "Garudyne!" Yosuke attacked.

The large eye known as Ameno-sagiri attacked them, weakening their defense, "Marakunda!" It was about to cast a spell on them when someone interfered.

"Makarakarn!" Rion cut in.

"Mabufudyne!" Ameno-sagiri sent more ice towards everyone.

Souji realized… that attack might have killed Yukiko, and seriously hurt the others. Instead, it hit the Lord of the fog.

"Guys, your defense is down!" Rise proclaimed.

"Dekunda!" Souji called out by releasing "Trumpeter!"

"Debilitate!" Rion weakened Ameno-sagiri again and was finally ready for an attack, "Hassou Tobi!" The arrows flew straight and true.

"God's Judgement!" again hit Naoto and knocked her down, and the Lord of the Fog weakened their defense again with "Marakunda!" It fired "Bufudyne!" to freeze Yukiko, and attacked Kanji to knock him over.

It spoke to them, _"No one wishes for the fog to lift. Why act against the wishes of your fellow man? Consider… is that truly just?"_

It unleashed a new attack, "Nebula Occulus!" which fired a laser across all of them. It burned the skin of everyone. Souji could feel the pain on his arms and legs, and the screams of the others.

"Someone heal Naoto-kun!" Rise yelled.

"Yukiko, Teddie… please… heal them," Souji said in pain.

"Mediarahan!" Yukiko finally was able to say by summoning her Persona.

"Keep it up! Don't let it up!" Souji yelled.

Through all of the attacks, they continued fighting.

"Primal Force!" "Ziodyne!" "Agidyne!" "Garudyne!" "Bufudyne!" "Debilitate!" "Matarukaja!" "Vorpal Blade!" "Megidoloan!" "Heat Riser!" "Power Charge!" "Mind Charge!" and "Hassou Tobi!" were all cast.

Unfortunately, they were all hit by "God's Judgement!" "Agneyastra!" "Bufudyne!" "Garudyne!" "Ziodyne!" "Agidyne!" "Ma-of the same!" "Matarunda!" "Masukunda!" "Marakunda!" and straight attacks.

So, they had to cast, "Diarahan!" "Mediarahan!" and "Salvation!"

Souji's team had suffered being pierced by ice, burns from flames, electrocution, and being blown into the air… Not to mention being cut by axes and bombarded by meteors…

Finally, Ameno-sagiri began speaking again, _"How foolish… Your actions will bring many back into suffering and strife. Why will you not understand this!?"_

"Don't give up now!" Souji exclaimed.

The lord cast something new. "Bewildering Fog!" covered him in dense fog and when Yosuke used "Susano-O!" for "Garudyne!" it proved useless.

"What the hell!?" he yelled.

Ameno-sagiri cast his own "Mind Charge!" then "Tarukaja!" and then "Sukukaja!"

Rion yelled out, "Defend! It's going to be messy otherwise!"

"Do it!" Souji agreed, and they all covered themselves with their weapons.

When the fog cleared, Ameno-sagiri used "Nebula Occulus!"

That attack, even with the defensive position ravaged the group. It was like a laser cutting through the skin. Yukiko was on the ground and wasn't moving, neither was Teddie.

"Dammit!" Souji yelled. "Ishtar!" "Samarecarm!" He tried to revive Yukiko first, and then used it on Teddie.

While he was using it on Teddie, Ameno-sagiri attacked Souji with "God's Judgement!" slamming him to the ground.

"Senpai!" Rise yelled, "No!"

"Hassou Tobi!" Rion had jumped in front of Souji and had his Persona attack with the multiple arrows while he charged headlong with his swords, completely uncaring about what happened to him.

"God's Hand!" Chie yelled, oblivious to her limp arm and dislocated shoulder.

"I'm gonna fuck you up!" Kanji yelled as he threw his chair into Ameno-sagiri.

Souji felt himself be healed of the large gouges in his side. It was Yukiko, healing him with "Salvation!"

The monster, meanwhile, had used "Bewildering Fog!" and hid from the group. It charged up, and was waiting to use "Nebula Occulus!" again.

As Teddie healed the group after Ameno-sagiri's attack, Yosuke used "Dekaja!"

"Trumpeter!" "Ziodyne!" Souji yelled.

"Susano-O!" "Brave Blade!"

"Bufudyne!" Teddie fired his own ice at the cause of the fog.

Ameno-sagiri spoke again, _"You fools… I have no choice. I will bring about the deaths of those who would keep the true peace from this world."_

"What an ass wipe," Souji thought. "Trumpeter!" "Mind Charge!" "Ziodyne!"

The lord unleashed a new attack that knocked everyone down, "Quake!"

"Shit…," Souji muttered, as he tried to pick himself up with his sword. He was almost successful except for the fact that Ameno-sagiri followed up with "Agneyastra!"

"Guys! You need to watch your health!" Rise warned the group.

She was right. They were really hurt. Souji thought his left arm was broken, and blood was running down Kanji's left leg. There were countless injuries on the rest of the group. Not to mention that Naoto's hat was in shambles.

"Megidoloan!" Naoto yelled. It seemed Naoto was pissed. She didn't even notice that the fog was up.

So, they just healed with "Salvation!" instead.

It was weakening however and Souji asked, "When the fog goes down, Rion… can you intercept it with Hassou Tobi?"

"Only if you hit simultaneously with a Ziodyne," Rion added, "And as many other attacks you can throw at it at once."

"You heard him!" Souji yelled.

Rion threw his visor down, and Souji readied himself. Souji knew Rion wanted him to finish Ameno-sagiri, so he was going to do it.

When the fog cleared, Rion summoned Ameno-sagiri and started pestering it with arrows, and Rion charged it with his swords. The others fired their gun, kicked it, cut it, hit it, threw their fan, and such.

Souji crushed his card and yelled, "Trumpeter! "Ziodyne!"

Ameno-sagiri began to sink back into the ooze.

The fallen lord said to the group, _"I see…Your powers are strong. Power comes from the heart."_

"Of course it does," Souji said.

Ameno-sagiri continued, _"You have proven to me human potential. Very well. I will lift the fog from the place where you will return. Mankind's desires are my desires. If mankind so wishes, I will return at anytime… I am always watching."_

Teddie told him, "Well don't wait up! We'll keep that from happening no matter what!"

Ameno-sagiri looked at him, _"Time will show the path humanity takes… Children of the new potential."_

They watched Ameno-sagiri slowly disappear and Adachi reappear. He fell to the floor. The fog was much lighter than before.

"You think Rion was right, and it was controlling Adachi-san?" Chie asked.

Naoto responded, "Who can say? I think it was partially his own intentions as well."

They walked over to the defective. They might as well call him that again. He was breathing heavily as he sighed, "So that's it, huh?"

Naoto shook her head.

"Fine… Live however you want," Adachi told them, "If you think you have the power to change the future… then go right ahead."

Souji said, "Everyone has the power to do that."

Adachi painfully said, "Get out of here… The Shadows will finish me off. Just leave me be… You came here to kill me, right?"

"No, dumbass," Kanji responded.

"If we leave you here dying, and a dead body eventually appears, then what?" Yosuke explained, "What's that accomplish for anyone? Your stupid game's over! We're taking you back. Live and face your punishment. That's how it works in our world."

"Right…,"Adachi said with a sigh.

Naoto said, "I'm sure that's the outcome Dojima-san wishes for as well."

Rion wiped the small amount of blood from his shoulder and picked up Adachi and supported him out. They were a bloody mess. Souji still thought he had a broken arm, and Chie needed to pop her shoulder back into socket. Naoto was still pissed about the tear in her hat more than the cuts on her face.

Naoto met a police officer outside of the Electronics Department, while Adachi was sitting in a heap near their TV.

"Greetings, Shirogane-san. We got word from Detective Dojima. He's wanted on suspicion of murdering Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi, right?"

"Correct," Naoto responded.

"Understood," the officer said, "We have an ambulance waiting downstairs. Should we have them bring the stretcher up here?"

"An ambulance…," Naoto looked slightly confused.

"Detective Dojima assumed one would be necessary. He wanted the suspect to be carefully taken into protective custody. It… Well, it was a personal favor to him."

"They were partners, remember?" Souji explained.

Adachi just sighed.

Naoto nodded, "Then yes, please have them bring the stretcher here."

"Understood," the officer said.

After Adachi was sent away, they walked down the shopping district in various amount of bandages. The town was… fogless. Souji reveled in that fact.

As Souji lead the group down the Northern Shopping District, a small boy ran by them and a mother chased after him.

"See, Mom!? It's all sunny! I can play outside like you promised, right!?"

"Oh, Makoto! Don't run like that!"

The people were starting to come out and view the fogless sky. They were amazed that it seemed to be safe to be outside again.

Chie said in amazement, "It's for real… The fog's really gone!"

"We did it! This time, it's for real!" Yukiko said with a smile.

Rion looked at Rise, who seemed to be crying. She turned to them, "W…What's up, Senpai? Did you think I was crying? It's just so bright. It's been so long since the sky was so blue."

Rion just pushed up his glasses with a knowing smirk.

"It's finally over," Yosuke said to Souji.

"Thanks to all of you," Souji responded.

"Don't get all sappy," Yosuke told him, "We did this together. But well, this means. We've won."

Yosuke walked over to Souji and placed his hand over Souji's. They all came into a circle and placed their hands over each other.

"Huh? What're we doing!?" Kanji asked, confused.

"Ooh, what's this?" Teddie looked excited.

Chie started it, "Everyone ready!? Here goes… We did it! Woohooo!"

Everyone rolled his eyes, and Rion pushed up his glasses with his free hand.

Chie asked, annoyed, "Why didn't you guys say it!?"

"I think that was a little hard to get on the spot," Rise answered.

"Which part did you mean for us to say?" Naoto asked.

"The "woohoo!" part!" Chie told her.

"Can't we just do it over?" Kanji asked.

Yosuke sighed, "Man, having to redo something like this kinda kills the fun of it all. Alright Chie, do that weird call again."

Chie chided him, "Well, not if you're gonna call it "weird!" Hmph!"

Naoto cut in, "U… Um, people are beginning to stare… I don't think we should stay like this much longer."

Rise complained, "My hand is getting kind of sweaty."

"This is uncomfortable," Rion said.

Teddie said, "Sheesh, fine then. It's all yours, Sensei!"

"We did our best!" Souji said.

"Woohoo!" everyone said.

As they released their hands, Yosuke asked, "Dude, aren't you supposed to do this before you start something? Not after it's over?"

"Huh? Who cares?" Chie responded.

Yukiko burst out laughing, "Snrk!"

----

I'm so sorry this took so long. I've been studying Asian Ethnography and its really hard. Tis Amazing. Christmas is the next chapter.


	28. Chapter 28

Persona 4 Novelization Chapter 28

I own as much of Persona as you think I do. I own none of it.

Okay… It's Christmas time in Personaville. Yes, so this could be the shortest chapter as I write it, or not. Most of it is basically filler, as it is in the real game. Please enjoy. Sorry, but I'm really lazy when it comes to writing Chie/Yosuke stuff and I don't really bother making it very long.

By the way, if you have been faithfully following this story, I thank you. If you have only just started reading recently, I thank you for reading so far. For those of you who have become curious and wonder why I would ever waste my time writing all of this… I felt like it would be interesting to use my talents, what little I have, to do so.

---

December 23rd-

Souji relaxed with the fact that Adachi was safely behind bars and all was well. The fog was gone and no one had to worry anymore about the world being engulfed by the mist. All Souji had to do was wait for Nanako and Dojima to get better, and that would only be a matter of time.

It was evening in the Dojima household, and Souji decided to clean it for the first time in about five days. What could he say, he was a little preoccupied. Souji dusted the tabletops and unfortunately, found something disgusting in the fridge that tried to kill him.

"Note to self, don't leave something in there for over nine months," he thought as he brought out his sword as it somehow went scurrying away from him. How a fruit turned into a killing machine, Souji didn't know. Ameno-sagiri had nothing on the killer fruit.

When the monster from the fridge was finally dead, Souji bandaged his wounds and finished cleaning the house.

Souji looked upon the clean living room. He'd only be living there for about three more months or so. When Souji first got there, he would probably be ecstatic when December rolled around, and it was only three months to go. Now, as he saw the table where he sat and talked with Dojima over coffee, or the TV where he listened to the incessant singing of Nanako… Souji realized something. Souji didn't really want to leave. There was one other reason Souji didn't want to leave and it was only compounded when he went up to his room to go to bed.

He received a text message from Yukiko.

"It's Christmas Eve tomorrow. Would you like to spend time with me? Just the two of us. How does that sound?"

Yukiko… That's why Souji did not want to leave. Souji never thought he would find someone like Yukiko here. Souji really was not looking for friends when he came to Inaba, but it seemed like fate had other plans. Who knew that falling headfirst into a TV would find him the girl of his dreams? Plus, it didn't hurt that the little accident helped him become friends with a detective, a martial artist, a softie-at-heart sewer, an heir to an evil conglomerate, a guy he swore was a ninja in a past life with girlfriend issues, and a Frenchman who a Shadow of all things. To think that he was a capital A jackass when he first came…

He texted back to Yukiko… "I would love if you would spend some time with me because I would love to spend time with you."

December 24th-

To say Souji was nervous was an understatement. He had bought a little cake for the event. Souji almost thought about baking one, but he did not trust his cooking skills that much. When 6:30 p.m. arrived and the doorbell rang, Souji jumped to his feet so fast he almost knocked the chair over from the little table in the living room. Souji almost spilled the juice he was drinking all over his nice button-up shirt.

"Umm… Hi…," Yukiko greeted Souji as she came in.

"Hey," Souji returned the greeting, "So, do you want to come in and umm…" The nervousness was evident on his face. He never was this nervous. Thank god Rion or Yosuke was not here to see this. Rion would make those subtle comments in private over the phone or off to the side. Yosuke would make a big deal out of it and laugh at him. No… Teddie would be the worst. Teddie would tell everyone out in the open and very, very loudly.

"I'm glad you asked me to come," Yukiko said with a blush.

"Who else would I ask?" Souji responded with a smile. They had moved from the doorway to the living room, "Teddie?"

Yukiko chuckled. She asked, "So… D… Do you want to go up to your room?" She was never quite as nervous as she was before, but… she still was a little.

"Go on ahead;" Souji told her, "I'll get the cake. It isn't too heavy, is it?"

"It'll be okay, tonight," Yukiko smiled. "I think I'll work it off tonight…," She thought, "I didn't just think that…" She blushed inwardly.

She walked up the stairs and Souji soon joined her with the small cake in tow. Souji had bought it at Junes, and if it sucked… he'd kick the crap out of Yosuke. That sounded kind of fun, but it sounded like a lot of effort… especially on a day off. He promised himself that he would not kick Yosuke's ass unless the cake made him sick, or if Yukiko was displeased with the cake.

The pair sat down across from each other where Souji usually spent his time folding origami and translating. Funny… only a few months ago, Souji was telling her to get a job folding envelops so she could be self-sufficient and leave Inaba. Was it that long ago that Souji was choking down Yukiko's terrible cooking and yelling at reporters? In Souji's case, it was punching the harassing reporters who wanted to turn the Inn into Rise's striptease. "Good times," as Souji remembered punching the reporter in the mouth.

As they were staring at each other, Yukiko said to Souji, "My parents booted me out of the house tonight. I was helping out like normal, but my parents said that I was bothering them. They're being overprotective. I can go on a date without any help." She blushed.

"I'd hope so," Souji responded, "I would not want them to join us." Souji smirked, "Besides… I'm sure they have something special planned for each other anyways."

Yukiko blushed again and chuckled. "I do like them so much, but I didn't need to hear that."

"I'm having so much fun," Yukiko told Souji.

"Me too…," Souji responded.

"Thanks for the cake. It looks so good…," Yukiko commented. She reached inside her bag and pulled something out, "By the way, I have a present for you."

"Oh, you didn't have to…," Souji said with his head down.

"Here…," Yukiko shook her head as she placed a leather keychain in Souji's hand.

"It's amazing… Thank you," Souji said with a genuine smile. "I can't believe she got this for me," he thought.

Yukiko smiled, but her mood mellowed out soon after.

"What's wrong?" Souji asked.

"I know you won't be staying in Inaba forever," Yukiko said sadly, "So, I wanted you to take that when you go, for me. Since I'm going to be staying here, in this town."

"I'm leaving…," Souji thought, "She's staying… Is that what I really want?"

Yukiko suddenly started chuckling, "I should stop talking about depressing stuff like that. We have solved the case. Today… Today should be fun."

"I agree," Souji nodded.

She chuckled as she said, "Yosuke and Chie are sharing Christmas together too… That'll be interesting."

"Yeah… I have to agree with you on that," Souji nodded.

Yukiko took a deep breath as she said, "I've been wondering why I like you…"

Souji asked, "That is a good question. Do you regret falling for someone who's leaving?"

"N… No, it's nothing like that," Yukiko shook her head quickly, "I don't regret it all."

"Oh… okay," Souji said.

"Anyways, let's eat some cake," Yukiko suggested, "It looks so good."

"I hope you don't mind that I did not make it," Souji asked.

"I'm sure it'll taste wonderful," Yukiko smiled at him.

"Ladies first…," Souji told his girlfriend as he cut her a piece and placed it on a plate.

As the pair began eating the small cake, they discussed what they would be doing before Souji's departure in March. That made Souji a little sad when he thought about it. It made him realize how little time he would have left to share with Yukiko.

After the cake was consumed and they had cleaned the area of all sugar-like objects, they sat back down across from each other. It was getting a little awkward for Souji to just stare at Yukiko's face. His eyes kept drifting downwards. He could tell Yukiko was nervous from just being here.

Yukiko blushed as she asked suddenly, "Umm… What else do people do during Christmas? The Inn is always so busy during this time of the year, so I've never spent a Christmas night like this before." Her blush deepened as she said, "I've never had a boyfriend either. I'm so happy that you're my first boyfriend, Souji-kun."

"I'm happy you're mine…," Souji replied, "You're the first one I've shared a Christmas with too."

"Um… That's not the first time I've had that thought, either," Yukiko added, "Souji-kun…"

Yukiko suddenly got really flustered as she tried to get out, "Umm… Can… Can I stay here… tonight? I told my mother that I'll spend the night at Chie's place, but she's currently at the Inn under Yosuke's name. So I can stay here without anyone minding. I... I love you, Souji-kun."

Souji did not really know what to think at this point. Here was his chance of a lifetime, and he could take it. He reached over the little table and cupped Yukiko's soft face in his hands, and whispered softly, "I love you too." Just before they kissed, Souji told her, "Every second possible, I'm planning on spending with you." He slowly undid the yellow ribbon on the front of her blouse… (That's all I'm writing. Your imagination can do the rest, alright? If you want blow by blow account of this, I'm changing the ratings.)

---

Yosuke and Chie, like Yukiko had told Souji, were currently situated in a room at the Amagi Inn. It was a room that did not have sutras in it or spirits trying to spook Yosuke. They were sitting next to each other with their hands linked together. Yosuke and Chie were wearing yukata by then.

Chie said to Yosuke nervously, "We have to be careful. Yukiko told her mom that she was staying at my house and it wouldn't exactly look normal if she found me here."

"We'll be fine. It was not like she saw us when we ate," Yosuke told her, "Well, we could not exactly stay at my place for two reasons, anyways."

"Well, I get Teddie, but what else?" Chie asked.

Yosuke told her, "I shipped Teddie off to Kanji's house because you know he'd be a royal pain in the ass tonight."

"Well, of course he'd be," Chie said, "Imagine him bothering us today of all days. But you didn't answer my question."

"Well… It still involves Teddie. He left food in my room and spilt soda all over my floor. And now, now there's…," Yosuke was telling her.

"Roaches!?" Chie was freaking out, "I hate bugs!"

"Exactly why we're not staying here," Yosuke finished, "We're fumigating the place as we speak."

"Good…," Chie nodded, "So… Where did you stick Teddie?"

"I had him go to Kanji's place," Yosuke told her.

"Kanji's?" Chie looked confused, "Why there?"

"Because it's the place that would drive him the craziest," Yosuke replied, "Besides, where else would I send him? I couldn't send him to Souji's, obviously, and I wouldn't dare send him to Rise's or Naoto's."

"Rion, then?" Chie asked.

"Do you really think he wouldn't be busy?" Yosuke responded, "Well, I'm having Kanji knit his Teddie fur."

They looked at each other after chuckling at Teddie's fate. Chie looked abashed all of a sudden.

"What is it?" Yosuke asked.

"I have an idea," Chie said, blushing, "But…"

"I'm open to ideas," Yosuke smiled. He thought he might like where this is going.

"Umm… if we wait a while, I thought we could head down to the hot springs… together," Chie said, turning into a beet.

"Chie…," Yosuke responded in a daze. He was speechless.

It looked like there were no complaints to the suggestion as the time went by and they headed down towards the springs when they thought enough time had gone by. (Again, I could give more details, but yeah.)

---

Rion headed through the regular part of the Residential District to the higher-class area. He felt like a pauper already, but only a few years ago, he lived in a place like this. At least… he had a damn good piece of cake wrapped in some cellophane with him. If anyone told Rion he didn't belong, he would shove the cake up their ass. But, Rion did not want to waste the cake on some pompous fool. He had a delivery to make, which would probably cost him a limb. She just had to mention her cousin had visited for Christmas.

He buzzed the gate, praying that one of the two sane people in the household would answer it, not the other two… especially if the psycho cousin had arrived. Rion breathed a sigh of relief when it was the secretary who answered.

"Who may I ask is there?" the secretary asked.

"It's Ishinata-kun, Yakushiji-san," Rion said respectfully.

"You do like to play with fire, Rion-san," he responded. Rion swore he was either chuckling or smirking on the other end.

"I do try, Sir," Rion told him.

"I'll send her out. I think she wants to see you regardless," Yakushiji said. He was chuckling.

The gate opened, and Rion shook his head. That would have to have alerted the grandfather and the cousin as well. He was screwed regardless. At least he would have the rest of the cake to eat with his remaining limbs, as long he was not shot. Rion hated getting shot. The last person to shoot him was coming out to see him. "Damn Kunino-sagiri…"

The girl who came to meet him was dressed in her usual winter attire, hat and all. She was carrying something in her hand.

"You're a fool, you know that," Naoto told him disapprovingly as she reached the young man in glasses, "You just want to get killed."

"That's the idea," Rion smiled at her, "I brought you a piece of cake since well… yeah."

She smiled back at him… A pure and a smile that could not be affected by the person that came up behind her at that very moment.

"Sir…," Rion said respectfully. He noticed the sidearm that was with Naoto's grandfather and was a good idea to be civil.

The grandfather said quickly and gruffly, "Just be quick, then hurry up and get out of here."

He walked away, but Rion swore he saw eyes watching him in the back of his head.

"Now that that's settled," Rion said with a sigh of relief, "Your cake is waiting for you."

"You actually sounded worried," Naoto chuckled at him, but she had a relieved look on her face too.

"He has a gun," Rion responded, "I hate getting shot, you know that."

Naoto smiled at him with a small blush, "You made that cake, didn't you? I have something for you." She pulled out a watch and gave it to him.

"I need a new watch," Rion responded cheerfully, "Getting slammed against a wall by a Shadow does not do well for a watch."

Naoto chuckled as she blushed, "This watch has a special feature. It shows how far away you are from me."

"So, I'm stalking you?" Rion smirked.

"No!" Naoto blushed, "My watch have the same feature."

"So, we're stalking each other?" Rion smirked, but he was smiling.

Naoto just shook her head in frustration, "It's just… not really going to work once you leave for school. It will read "out of range"."

"Well… That's why I'll make sure I come and visit," Rion said. He gently pulled her into a hug, which made her blush.

"Thanks… Thanks for staying friends with me," Naoto said to him slowly. You could tell she wanted to say something different.

"I told you that when we broke up that I would never ever forget you," Rion responded.

Rion broke off the hug when Naoto's cousin came up from behind. He noticed the long scabbard at her side of her green coat, and it was time for him to leave with all of his limbs intact.

If Rion thought he was going to get the rest of the night to just relax and eat cake in peace, he was sorely mistaken.

He should have expected to see someone waiting for him when he got back. He should have expected it to be Rise, but he still shook his head when he saw her. "It wasn't like I expected anything less, but she could have called." Rion thought.

"Hi… Senpai," Rise said, "I wanted to see how you were doing."

"Is that the real reason you're here?" Rion asked with a smile.

"Are you accusing me of something?" Rise asked with a cutesy smile, "Cause maybe…"

"Come… I can't eat a whole cake by myself," Rion rolled his eyes, "Don't give me puppy eyes!"

"But they work so well!" Rise exclaimed as she locked her hands with his as Rion led her into the little condo.

As Rise sat down and was handed a piece of cake by Rion, "Thanks… Making your own cake again, huh?"

"Yeah, it's not attacking me like yours would," Rion chuckled and he dodged the flying fork that came afterwards, "At least you're not making an omelet."

"You're terrible, Senpai!" Rise pretended to cry and Rion laughed. They both chatted about random things.

Rise went to get something to drink as Rion relaxed back on the couch.

"Well, the rest of this year should be pretty laid-back," Rion said to her after a while, "For you guys at least."

Rise nodded only half-paying attention, "Laid-back…" She sat on the couch with him, and then lay down on top of him. Rion found himself stuck.

"Umm…," Rion said, "This is awkward."

Rise said from her position, which constituted of her head just past Rion's lap, so his head was staring right at her chest, "Riony… Umm… Since we're all different parts of our selves… You remember my Shadow, right?"

"Yes…," Rion rolled his eyes. This position was very awkward. He knew where this was going.

"Wells… I can show you that part of me," Rise had a glazed look with that crazy smile, "I don't have to be home tonight."

Rion took the bottle from her that she had taken from his fridge. He was suspicious. It was the sake he was saving for after he finished his entrance exams. "I can't leave her alone for a minute. She's such a lightweight anyways."

"I think I'm fine sweetheart," Rion told her, "I don't like to take advantage of drunken girls."

"B…But…," Rise said slurred.

"No buts," Rion responded, "Time for you to go to sleep. You need rest, tipsy girl."

"Aww…," Rise said to him. She was suddenly quite coherent as she closed her eyes, "I love you, Rion-kun."

Rion brushed back one of Rise's ponytails that had fallen over her face and grasped her hand, "I love you too."

---

Souji came back down after what he considered the best time of his life. There were no words to express how he felt about that experience. His girlfriend was still up there. He thought about it, "I'm coming back. No matter what, I'm coming back."

Souji pulled out a glass, filled it full of water and downed it. He smiled as went back upstairs. He had the rest of the night.

December 25th-

The whole group met up at Junes after their wonderful nights. Well, Souji, Chie, Yukiko, and Yosuke had better nights than Rise. She woke up with a headache. Yosuke was sitting across from Chie, while Rion was sitting next Rise this time. She was next to Teddie as well. Souji was next to Yukiko as well.

"So the case is closed for reals this time," Yosuke told them from the large bench.

Naoto told them, "I think we can safely leave this to the police. Adachi has confessed his crimes, so I presume that Namatame's presumed guilt will be reexamined as well."

"I see…," Chie said, "Then that really wraps it up."

Rise asked the bear, "What'll you do now, Teddie? You're not planning on going back over there, are you?"

"You aren't allowed," Souji said to him.

Kanji commanded, "You better not, you dumb bear! You don't know how much you worried us last time…"

Teddie was nervous as he said, "I… I won't suddenly disappear like that again!"

"Damn straight you won't! Man, just stay here, alright?" Yosuke exclaimed.

Souji received a phone call and he picked it up. "Hold on a second," he said as he picked it up. It was Dojima.

"Hey, it's me," Dojima said.

"Hi," Souji asked.

"Good news. It looks like they're letting Nanako come home for a bit."

"Really, that's great," Souji responded.

"She's awake again, and she's got a good amount of strength back," Dojima explained, "All goes well, she might be able to leave the hospital for the time being. As for me, I just need to see a doctor regularly. I'm planning on coming home with Nanako today."

"That sounds perfect," Souji told his uncle.

"Sorry, I had to stick you with all the housework. I'll make it up to you somehow. I'll see you later," Dojima said as he hung up.

Souji told everyone as he put away his phone, "Nanako can come home today."

Yukiko was elated, "Really!? Nanako-chan's coming home!? I'm so happy for her."

"Me too… I'm so glad…," Teddie said slowly getting more emotional, "The fog's all gone over here because everyone tried so hard… And now Nana-chan's getting better too!"

"Nanako-chan tried hard too," Rise said with a smile. She started sobbing, "Sh... She's such an amazing girl."

Teddie started crying and Rise started hugging the bear-Shadow-human thingy.

"Seriously! Thank heavens she's okay," Yosuke said.

"You think I don't agree?" Souji said with a smile.

Rise was still crying, and Rion was rolling his eyes. Rion did push up his glasses when Rise punched Teddie, "Where're you touching!" She went from crying to pissed off in a heartbeat.

"Augh!" Teddie was in pain and it was about to get worse when Rion started to drag him off by the back of his collar. "Hey!" Teddie yelled.

Rion pushed up his glasses with his left hand as he dragged him away, "I just need to teach you on how to treat a girl." Rion had an evil look on his face.

The group started laughing as Teddie returned a few seconds later, scared out of his wits. Rion was chuckling at him and the job was now to calm down Yukiko.

Chie turned to Souji and said, "Well… one thing's certain… It's party time! Let's throw a big Christmas party for Nanako-chan!"

"A party you say!? I'm sure Nana-chan will be delighted," Teddie said gleefully.

"We'll need a cake then," Yukiko told them.

Those words scared Souji. "She's not suggesting what I'm thinking she's suggesting?"

Yosuke was echoing his thoughts when he said, "G… Guys… Please say you're not going to."

Rise asked, "Huh? We're gonna make one."

Chie made it sound obvious, "Of course we're gonna make one."

Yukiko scared Souji, "I've already researched the ingredients."

"Hey… W… Wait a sec! Whoa there!" Yosuke tried to stop them, "That's way too tall an order for you!"

"Let's go to the grocery department!" Chie sounded way too enthusiastic, "C'mon Naoto-kun, you too!"

She looked nervous. The only experience with cooking she had was that disaster at Rion's, and she voiced it, "B… But I've never baked a cake!"

"Don't worry. Neither have we!" Yukiko replied.

This scared Souji even more, "God help us…"

The girls were attempting to bake a cake at Souji's house and the boys and Nanako were sitting around the kotatsu. Dojima was sitting on the couch.

"It's so warm!" Nanako voiced her joy about the new kotatsu.

"So this is the fabled kotatsu," Teddie said in awe.

Nanako exclaimed, "I was really looking forward to the new kotatsu!"

Dojima said to the group, "Yeah, you talked about it all the time at the hospital." He told them, "Nanako's going back for a close checkup tomorrow, but at this rate, the doctors say she can leave the hospital soon."

"That's what we want to hear," Souji said.

Nanako said solemnly, "If I'd gotten better sooner, we would've been able to buy the kotatsu together. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault," Souji told her.

"Okay…," Nanako responded, "Next time, let's go together!"

As Souji nodded, Chie exclaimed from the kitchen, "Sorry for the wait!"

"Oh no! The Christmas version of Mystery Food X is about to be served!" Yosuke hung his head in dismay.

Kanji held his head high, "Bring it on, I'm ready! I'm got my insurance card ready and everything."

Rion smirked at that.

The cake was served and a piece was giving to everyone.

Nanako was really excited at the presence of a cake, "It's a cake!"

"Hey! It's bigger than I imagined!" Dojima was surprised at the size.

Kanji interrupted, "Wait, Nanako-chan! I'll be the first one to…" As Nanako took a bite, Kanji yelled, "NOOOOO!!!!"

She told them, "It's delicious!"

Souji wasn't sure if she was being nice or if it was really delicious. He would have to make sure.

"It tastes really good!" she continued.

"Th… That can't be…" Yosuke was dumbfounded, "No… Has she lost all sense of taste?"

The rest of them all took a bite. Souji was more than surprised at the taste. It was actually edible, and more so, it was good.

"Did you guys really make this?" Yosuke asked.

"Huh? O… Of course we did," Chie answered nervously.

"Does it actually taste like something?" Yukiko asked.

"It's not hot, is it?" Rise questioned them, "How is it Kanji? Hm?"

"It's amazing!" Kanji answered while eating the cake.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Rion retorted.

The girls looked happy. Chie spoke, "You know what they about true talent not having to show off? Turns out we had good taste in cooking after all."

Naoto sighed, "Then again, this one was our third attempt after all…" She muttered, "And using Rion's recipe."

Teddie told the Junes boy, "Hey, Yosuke! Chie-chan and the others really are talented chefs! Three stars for sure!"

Yosuke was dumbfounded, "I… Impossible… This actually tastes good!" He looked at them, "Wait, I didn't already pass out, did I? This isn't a dream, is it?"

Teddie looked at Nanako while the girls were talking, "Umm… Nana-chan, guess what I have…?" He pulled out a gift, "A Christmas present for you!"

He gave it to Nanako, "Oh! It looks just like you!" It was a Teddie doll.

"I wish I could have made it look better." Teddie told her, "But I thought it'd keep you company while you're at the hospital, Nana-chan."

"Pedobear alert!" Souji thought.

"Oh, and it's made from 100% Teddie fur. I'm a guy who's all about using all-natural materials."

Dojima seemed crept out too as he said, "I… Isn't that nice of him, Nanako? Teddie fur?"

"Uh huh!" Nanako answered, "Thank you Teddie!"

"I have to thank you all again," Dojima said, "Adachi confessed to the two murders. He insists it was him who hung the bodies, too. There are still things unclear about his story, but he's most likely going to pay for his crimes. Anyway, this was one strange case. If what you said about a world inside a TV was true, then everything might make sense. Though I still don't believe it… Some things in this world just can't be explained. Like Nanako… She made a miraculous recovery, and she's as healthy as ever. Back in the day, my old senpai in the force told me something. "There's an underside to everything that you can never see." This case has made me think about a lot of things." He looked at Souji, "You've helped out so much. It was supposed to be the other way around. There isn't much time left until spring, but I hope I can do some catching up until then."

Chie said, "That's right, you're only here until spring, huh?"

"Senpai, you're going back, too?" Rise said sadly.

"It won't be the same without you," Naoto said with her head down.

Teddie asked innocently, "Sensei? Are you going somewhere?"

"I don't exactly want to go back," Souji said truthfully.

"I don't think your parents would like that," Dojima said.

As they looked down, Yosuke said, "C'mon, spring's a long way off, right? Let's have as much fun as we can until then!"

"H… Hey, don't get too carried away!" Dojima said worriedly, "My sis would kill me if you got held back a year!"

Yosuke smirked, "Oh, but then you wouldn't have to go back then, right?"

The party went on, and Souji spent some more of Christmas with Yukiko. This year's Christmas Eve and Christmas was the best ever and he was sad that it ever had to end.

---

Fun… wasn't it? Short, yes.

Okay, for my two faithful reviewers, and if you've stayed with me for the past 300k, I'll give you my short attempt at being funny. This is what happens when you fight Ameno-sagiri one too many times.

---

After Souji misses Ameno-sagiri with his sword for the hundredth time.

"God, you suck," Yosuke tells him.

"You try it then," Souji challenges Yosuke.

"Go, Susano-O!" Yosuke slashes his card with his kunai, "Brave Blade!"

The attack misses, causing Ameno-sagiri to counter with "Mabufudyne!" and "Masukunda!"

"You both suck," Rion explained, "How could you not know its weak point?"

"What its weak point?" Yosuke asked.

"Show us then," Souji commanded.

Rion drew one of his ninjato and ran up to Ameno-sagiri, stabbing it in the eye.

"_Damn you! I can not tell you the truth if I can not see it!"_

"That was ridiculously obvious," Yosuke sighed.

"At least it won't attack us with that laser anymore," Souji said.

---

Okay, see you when I can post again. Only a few more chapters left.


	29. Chapter 29

Persona 4 Novelization Chapter 29

I own absolutely nothing of Persona, SMT or the above. Atlus does.

So, there is not much left in the story. Really, only a few chapters left, and this one is another short one.

If you have been faithfully following this story, I thank you. If you have only just started reading recently, I thank you for reading so far. For those of you who have become curious and wonder why I would ever waste my time writing all of this… I felt like it would be interesting to use my talents, what little I have, to do so.

---

Time passed quickly after Christmas for Souji. Souji shared much of his time with Yukiko. He even helped Rion with his studying for entrance exams; imagine that, Rion studying for something. Souji also spent a lot of time with Nanako as well. All of his friends made time to spend with Nanako. It made Nanako really happy, and that made Souji happy.

Yet, as it got closer to the date when Souji had to leave, Souji felt pain in his heart. He would have to leave his friends. He had grown so close to them, but Souji felt like he was abandoning them by leaving in the spring. But… what could he do about it? It was not like Souji had a choice. At least he was not the only one who was leaving in the spring. He had that to hang over Rion's head.

March 20th came far too fast for Souji and that was the day before he would have to leave. "Where did the time go?" he thought. It was a beautiful day with the cherry blossoms in full bloom and the people enjoying the sunshine. It seemed Souji was sucking in all of the gloom.

Dojima, Nanako, and Souji were sitting around the kotatsu. They were just about ready to put it away, but with no central heating, it would be needed for a few more days.

Dojima asked Souji, "All done packing? Well, if you forget anything, I'll mail it to you."

"I think so," Souji responded. "I even saved some of that ramen from Aiya just in case," he thought to himself.

The doorbell rang, and Nanako asked, "Can I go answer the door?" Nanako was definitely changed by what had happened to her this past school year.

Dojima said softly, realizing that, "Oh yeah… That's right. Sure, go answer it. There's nothing to worry about anymore." Dojima turned to Souji, "Seeing her so cheerful like that. Nothing makes me happier."

"I agree with you," Souji smiled back at the cheery Dojima.

Dojima explained to Souji, "I've already bought your train ticket for tomorrow. It leaves at nine o'clock in the morning from Yasoinaba Station. Today's your last day here. Don't worry about Nanako. You can leave her to me."

"Nine o'clock, okay," Souji nodded.

Dojima told Souji, "Go see your friends. This might be your last chance to see them."

"Now that's depressing," Souji thought. He said to Dojima, "Okay… I'll go. I definitely need to see Yukiko, at the least."

As Souji started walking out, Nanako was coming back in. Nanako said to Souji, "Are you going out? Be careful!"

"I will, little sis," Souji told her.

Souji decided to start where he already was. He decided to visit Nanako and Dojima first. Would people think it was weird that Souji considered his cousin and uncle his good friends? Every one of his friends considered his "little sis" one of his good friends, and through everything, he formed an "unbreakable bond" with Dojima.

Souji walked up to his little sis and said, "Hi Nanako."

"Big bro…," she responded.

Dojima asked if he had seen everyone, and he responded "No". It looked like he wasn't ready to say goodbye to his relatives yet.

"Make sure you say goodbye to everyone," Dojima told him.

"Okay, where should I go?" Souji thought as he walked away.

Souji headed to the place where all his adventures took place. Souji took a bus to Junes and headed over to those good old metal chairs and tables near that large covered table at the food court.

Of course, Teddie and Yosuke were there, "I guess it's time to say goodbye to them," Souji thought.

Teddie wearing his bear costume was laughing at Yosuke. He had made a joke about his relationship with Chie, and Yosuke was frustrated. Souji wanted to laugh too, if he could.

Teddie noticed Souji walking up first, and then Yosuke turned around and said to him, "Yo, Souji!"

"Hey, Yosuke… Teddie," Souji greeted.

Teddie waved and exclaimed, "Sensei! I'm super-duper happy that you came to see me!"

They all sat down at the far table, well Teddie stood, because he couldn't sit down.

"Going around saying goodbye, huh?" Yosuke asked with his arms crossed.

"I guess so," Souji said with a sigh.

Yosuke smirked, "What do you think of the sleepy, peaceful version of Inaba? It must seem weird to you."

"There are qualities to that I like," Souji responded, "No fear of death, or the world ending."

"Yeah… I wonder why it began as soon as you arrived," Yosuke pondered.

"I don't know," Souji said.

Teddie looked at the pair and reminisced, "I remember the first time. Sensei and Yosuke, braving the TV world alone. Boy, I feel nostalgic!"

Yosuke nodded, "Yeah… Ever since then, it was just one surprise after another."

"Tell me about it," Souji shook his head.

Yosuke sighed, "I can't imagine what it's going to be like, living here without you."

"You'll be okay," Souji said, "I'll be back." Souji knew he would come back.

"A quiet, peaceful town, with no need to use our Personas anymore," Yosuke sighed.

"That's a good thing… when you think about it," Souji told him.

"I can't imagine it either," Teddie agreed with Yosuke.

Yosuke nodded, "That's right. We were right in the middle of the case when you came over to this side. A lot of stuff has happened. Facing my true self… And you and me got into a fight too."

"Don't remind me…," Souji shook his head, "Nanako had to clean up all the blood."

Teddie looked shocked, "Yosuke, did you smack Sensei!? How reckless!"

Yosuke looked at Teddie and said, "Of course, moron. Best friends gotta fight sometimes to be best friends."

Teddie turned to Souji with a scary look on his bear face, "Why didn't you say so earlier!? Sensei! Bring it on! Let's fight!"

"C'mon," Souji rolled his eyes, "I don't want to be mauled."

Yosuke saved him from the pain, "Don't hurt him, man. He's gotta get on the train tomorrow."

Teddie stopped preparing for a fight as a sad face formed, "Sensei… You're really leaving, huh? I'm glad I met you and Yosuke." When they looked at him, confused, he said cheerfully, "You two completely changed my life… And Nana-chan, Yuki-chan, and the others, too… They all helped me… They gave life to me."

"Life? Come on, man," Yosuke said disbelievingly, "You were the one who wanted to change. That's why you tried so hard to make it happen."

"He's right, you know," Souji said, "You made the most effort."

Teddie nodded, "Thank you so much, Sensei and Yosuke! I love you."

Souji was completely crept out. He wanted to back away.

"Love is kinda strong for this," Yosuke said.

Teddie said, "I'll take off my outfit if you want!"

Souji did about run away at that.

"L… Let's not," Yosuke told him.

As he was talking to the pair, Yosuke asked, "By the way, is it okay for you to chill here? Don't you have others to talk to? Like… meeting someone?"

"Do you want Teddie to come with you?" Teddie asked.

"No, I think Teddie has to work," Yosuke sighed.

"Okay, I'll head out," Souji said.

"Say hi to Chie for me," Yosuke told him as Souji waved.

Souji walked off. He realized how much he'd really miss Teddie and his bear-puns. He would not have Yosuke to try and take control of the situation anymore. It would be boring without the pair.

He went to Yasogami High next. It was so pretty in the springtime, much nicer than the school he'd be returning to.

He went over to the shoeboxes. He saw the girl he skipped classes with at least ten times… Ai Ebihara.

"Hey…," Souji greeted her as he walked up to her.

"Oh hey, I was going to look for you later," Ai told him.

"I came to say hi," Souji said.

They walked up to the rooftop where they reminisced.

"Do you remember when you stopped me from jumping off?" Ai asked.

Souji remembered that terrible incident. Kou liked Chie instead of her, and he had to stop Ai from jumping off the top of the school.

"Yes…," Souji said.

"Thinking back on it… It was pretty dumb," Ai told Souji as she turned around, "Thank you. You stopped me, and listened to me. I've been thinking about the future and all of that. I want to become a nicer person." She flushed, "Does that sound like a weird goal?"

"No, not really," Souji shrugged.

Ai chuckled, "I'm glad I met you. I wasn't sure what I'd be like if I had not met you. I might been totally into that Midnight Channel and spreading rumors."

Souji rolled his eyes.

"I could never see myself doing that now," Ai told him, "I must have gone through a pretty drastic change."

"Only you can decide if you have," Souji explained.

Ai sighed, "All over. I was so nervous. I'm sure you have a lot of other friends you have to say goodbye to. I think I'll head home."

Souji waved goodbye to Ai and started searching out for other people who might be at the school. He went to his classroom. In his seat, he found none other but Hanako! She was in his seat!

"What!?" She asked when he came up.

"What are you doing here today?" he asked.

"Th… This is your seat? I just got it wrong…," Hanako said nervously, "Stop looking at me! Y… You don't suspect me, do you? I… I'm not the one who put something in your shoe locker! I… It wasn't me!"

"Oh god!!!" Souji thought as he ran away.

"Oh… Senpai," Naoto looked surprised when Souji came by on the first floor. She was standing where Rion used to come to tease her.

"Hello Naoto," Souji said.

"Do you have business at school as well?" Naoto asked.

"You could say that," Souji answered.

Naoto realized what it was, "That's right. You're leaving tomorrow. Saying goodbye to your teachers?"

"Well… not my teachers," Souji smiled.

"Having one last look at the school, huh?" Naoto said sadly, "Do you mind if I come with you?"

"Of course you can come," Souji said.

Souji ended up on the roof again. At least he was getting exercise.

As they stared off at the town, Naoto said to Souji, "This town has become so peaceful."

"Anything wrong with that?" Souji asked.

"I'm not disappointed," Naoto shook her head, "It's just that to remain here, without a case to solve. I feel somewhat listless."

"I don't think you're the only one," Souji said. He thought of Yosuke, and was thinking of how Rion must feel.

Naoto continued, "I know how this sounds awkward, since we've already discussed it before and came to a satisfactory conclusion… that the reason for me for being here had nothing to do with the case."

"It's because of Rion," Souji told her with a smirk.

"Hey! Don't joke like that," Naoto blushed.

"Still… I think your departure is making me feel lonely," Naoto said, "But I apologize."

"No, it's because Rion's leaving tomorrow too," Souji explained.

"You're not helping…," Naoto said, exasperated.

"Still, I appreciate your concern," Souji said, seriously this time.

"It's not your fault for moving home. This won't be the last time you or I will face a situation like this."

"Probably not," Souji nodded. "I think she's really affected by us leaving."

Naoto proclaimed, "I'm remaining here in Inaba, Senpai. Of course, from time to time, my services will be required elsewhere. But Inaba is my hometown now. I want to treasure the time we and our friends shared together, solving the case. The Midnight Channel, Personas, and Ameno-sagiri… My duty is stay here and get to the bottom of these mysteries. The thought of it makes me a bit lonely. Don't forget your time with everyone."

"I won't," Souji said to the detective. She was definitely not the defective.

"I'll be at the station with the others tomorrow," Naoto told Souji, "I'd say this would be our last chance to talk face-to-face, but I can visit you when I want, and vice-versa." She looked at him, "Senpai, you have other farewells to make, don't you? I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, goodbye Naoto," Souji waved as he left.

Souji left the school to go search for some of his other friends.

He found Chie Satonaka near the Daidara Metalworks. "Figures…," Souji thought.

"Whoa!" Chie was surprised by Souji's visit. He was getting a lot of these today, "You caught me off guard."

"That's not good for a martial artist," Souji said, "Yosuke says hi."

"Okay… But, you just suddenly showed up," Chie said, "Tomorrow's the day, huh?"

"Yeah," Souji said.

"I ended up here when I thought of the group. Memories and all," Chie said sadly, "It was "What can I do for you?" and all the sappy stuff just wasn't worth it. So I decided that I'm going to use what you taught me. I bought a book."

"I taught you to read?" Souji looked confused.

Chie hit him on the head, "It's called, "How to Become a Police Officer!" I told you I wanted to become strong so I could protect what matters most to me, right?"

"That's what I remember," Souji said.

"I want to protect this town," Chie told him, "We all worked hard to win this peace… I want to keep it this way. You can't be certain that no incident like this will never happen again, right?"

"I hope nothing like this happens again," Souji nodded.

"It's where I met all of my best friends," Chie said, "So I thought maybe I'd become a cop, and have Dojima-san put me through the wringer!"

"I'll be glad to be protected by you," Souji smiled.

Chie smiled back, "Go home proud! We'll be fine here… We'll be waiting for you when you come back."

He saw something scary as he walked away from Chie. He had created some mad fusions, and he saw Margaret by the Velvet Room. This was a scary sight to see her outside the Velvet Room. Was something wrong?

"Hello?" Souji asked disbelievingly.

"Oh… Hello," Margaret greeted.

They talked by the Velvet Room.

"You have come…," Margaret said, "I was waiting for you."

"Well… I did see you there," Souji responded. "She was waiting for me?" Souji thought, "Is this a pedobear moment, just with Velvet room business? She has to be older than me."

"I wanted to see you before you left," Margaret told him, "Though, parting words aren't what I have for you."

"I'm officially scared now," Souji thought, "Omelets don't compare."

"Remember?" Margaret asked, "The heart is shaken more by a single action than by a thousand words."

"Yeah…," Souji thought, "That night with Yukiko."

"Do you know what action will shake both of our hearts?" Margaret asked.

"I really don't want to know," Souji thought. He went to shake her hand.

Margaret chuckled, "For us residents, I'm sure this is a sin. Now… Close your eyes."

"I'm scared," Souji thought. Souji asked, "Why?"

"Why, you ask?" Margaret put forth, "So you don't witness any sinfulness."

Now Souji wanted to really run away.

Margaret kissed him! She kissed him! It wasn't a bad kiss… actually it was amazing. But, where'd she get the practice? It wasn't with Igor, because she wouldn't even be able to reach his lips with that nose of his. Souji just would never let it slip to Yukiko.

"Why did I steal a kiss?" Margaret was still very close to Souji, "Is that what you were going to ask? But it's you who were the thief."

"I don't understand," Souji said. He really had no idea.

She chuckled, "Will I ever see you again, I wonder? Well, then… Farewell."

She walked back into the Velvet Room. "That was creepy," Souji thought.

He found Rion and Rise next to Marukyu Tofu. Of course, they were together. Rion would be spending his last day here with his girl. It would pretty much be a break-up after tomorrow. Rion would be headed to an amazing university soon, not to mention the official training for London. Who could blame him?

"Souji," Rion nodded at his presence.

"Senpai! Where are you going?" Rise said cheerfully.

"Hey guys," Souji said, "I came to see you two."

"Glad to see we matter," Rion smirked, pushing up his glasses.

"That's like you came to say goodbye!" Rise exclaimed, "Both of you are leaving! Not fair!" "This won't be the last time we meet, is it Senpai!?" She asked Souji.

"Of course it won't be," Souji responded.

"It does make me sad, though," Rise said, "I told you before, right? That I'm returning to showbiz, starting spring."

"That's great," Souji told her.

"I went to voice training today to prepare myself for that. You see, I'm re-debuting with a new album. I'm writing all the lyrics myself!"

"You got a D in composition," Rion chuckled.

"Okay, so they aren't exactly masterpieces," Rise hit him on the head, "Rion-kun helped me out on a few. The headliner is the one we worked on together." She smiled as she held his hand. Souji was disturbed.

"I'll have to look for it and then listen to it," Souji eventually said.

Rise said, "But you know, a lot of stuff's happened while I was on break. I made friends… great friends… Everyone was so nice to me. I want to express that to everyone who will listen. My deepest feelings in my own words. Ahh, I'm scared! I'm scared of putting the real me out there for people to see!"

Rion rolled his eyes, "You aren't scared… Don't lie to Souji. Your music proves otherwise."

"I can't give into that fear, can I?" Rise smiled, "I'll work hard for all of my fans out there… I'm gonna make a huge comeback! Wish me luck!"

"You better, Rise-chan," Souji said.

"Thanks, Senpai!" Rise smiled and blushed slightly, "At least I know I'll have people watching me on the other side of the camera. It'll keep me going."

"You should appear in a commercial for Junes," Rion suggested.

"That's a good idea," Souji agreed, "Considering how much time we spent there."

"You're right," Rise said, "You'll remember all the times we were together. But will we feel lonely after together?"

"We will come back," Souji smiled.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay? I'm so glad the fog is gone," Rise said, "It's foggy over there still, but it's clear here. We can see you off on a happy note."

"We all are," Souji said, "I like happy endings."

He turned to Rion, "I guess this is goodbye for the both of us."

"Yeah. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone," Rion smiled, pushing up his glasses, "I won't be there to save you. That goes for me too."

"You read my mind," Souji said. He always did that. He smirked, "You better win over the summer."

"You expect me to lose?" Rion chuckled, "Come see me in London, then. It has to be more enjoyable then where you'll be."

"We'll see," Souji shook his head, "I like the happy you better. It seems when you're with a girl, and you're not working on a case… You're much nicer."

"You just figured that out?" Rion shook his head, "Well, expect me to turn into a jerk again in a day or so. I'll miss someone calling me a smartass everyday. But, what can I do? I'll see you tomorrow to say goodbye."

"Likewise…," Souji responded, "What would I do without someone making subtle comments? It's going to be weird indeed. I'll see you."

He only had three more to see. He was a little hungry, so he popped into Aiya's. Who was there, but Kou and Daisuke.

"Whoa!" Kou said in amazement. It seemed that everyone was just shocked to see him.

"Haha, what a coincidence," Daisuke said with a chuckle.

"I like how you guys you were that surprised," Souji smiled.

"We were just talking about you. You should come chill with us for a bit," Kou suggested.

Souji sat down and ordered one last bowl of ramen. He'd need it pretty shortly, anyways.

"W… Well," Kou started saying, "You see, we started talking about if all that crazy stuff that happened here was really over, and…"

"We were consoling each other about Souji leaving tomorrow," Daisuke finished.

"That's kind of creepy," Souji responded.

"Yeah, why do you have to blurt that stuff out!? That's embarrassing, man! To be honest, though… I did want to see you one last time, but I figured you would be too busy," Kou complained and explained, "The next thing I know, you walk right in! It's like man, I was being thoughtful for nothing!"

"I could still leave," Souji said sarcastically.

The three started joking around.

"Yeah, my sister has started training to take over the family," Kou said.

"What do you think about it?" Daisuke asked.

"It's alright," Kou answered. We're gonna miss you at basketball, though."

"We'll suck without me," Souji said.

"Thanks," Kou responded with a smile, "Though we have to come and visit you sometime, Souji. But enough of this sad crap! Let's be how we normally are and send him off with a smile! So Souji, call me if a cute girl is available, okay?"

"Will do," Souji answered.

"Huh? I thought you liked Ch..," Daisuke tried to butt in…

Kou hit him as Souji said, "She goes out with Yosuke." That surprised Daisuke and Kou shook his head.

Daisuke said, "Speaking of which, what happened to that promise of yours? You're the one who said we'll go on another group date."

"You mean you were serious?" Kou looked at Daisuke, shocked, "I mean… Souji has a girlfriend."

"Of course," Daisuke answered.

Kou shook his head, "Then I have one thing to say: Stop wearing the same damn training clothes!"

"Thank you!" Souji exclaimed.

Kou asked Souji, "Souji, do you think you can give Daisuke a nice pair of pants and shirt for a farewell present?"

Daisuke was not amused, "Hey, I've got more clothes than this, ya know?"

"I bet they're all sportswear," Kou responded.

Daisuke sighed and Souji chuckled.

Kou sighed as he said to Souji, "You better come visit. I can't handle the dating scene with Daisuke alone."

After saying goodbye to each other, Souji went looking for his last party member he had not talked to. Of course, before he got there, he went to the shrine. He found out that the fox had cubs.

"I didn't even know it was a girl," Souji thought.

He got to surprise someone else. Kanji was quite astonished to see his leader speaking to him.

"Hey Kanji," Souji said to him at the Textiles.

"Whoa, Senpai… Wh… What are you doing here!?" Kanji asked.

"I came to talk," Souji told Kanji.

As Souji began to talk to Kanji, Kanji's mother came up. Kanji's mother greeted Souji, "Oh, hello Souji-kun."

"Hello, Mrs. Tatsumi," Souji nodded.

"I heard you're leaving tomorrow," Kanji's mother said, "You know, Kanji's been acting all sad and lonely lately."

Kanji looked embarrassed, "Sh… Shut up, you old bat!"

Souji thought the whole thing was funny. "They all care in their own way," Souji thought.

Kanji's mother reprimanded Kanji, "I told you not to speak to me in that way!" She calmed down, "Anyways, have you told him about the handicraft class?" She turned to Souji, "Thank you for being such a role model, Souji-kun."

"You're welcome," Souji said.

"Come visit here sometime, all right? Goodbye now," Kanji's mom took her leave.

Kanji sighed, "Y… You didn't hear what she said, did you?"

"A handicraft class?"

Kanji shook his head, "Ugh…" He explained, "See… A buncha customers liked those knitted dolls we sold, and they asked me how we made them. S… So I'm gonna hold a class on how to do it." He looked at Souji expectantly, "L… Laugh it up already!"

Souji didn't laugh, and Kanji respected that. "Senpai… It was my decision though. If people wanna learn, and if I can teach 'em… Hell, why not, ya know? It's still kinda embarrassing though."

"Not really," Souji said.

"But, uhh… It kinda feels good to do something for other people," Kanji told Souji.

"Good for you," Souji said.

Kanji chuckled, "It's only cause of you that I could face up to who I am, Senpai. Thank you very much!"

"No need to worry so much," Souji responded.

"Well, this isn't the last time we're gonna meet, so yeah. Amazing how a murder case made our friendship so deep."

He had one more of his Persona members to meet with, and this was the hardest.

Souji would eventually have to talk to her, so he made his way to the bus stop. The bus stop that would take him to Yukiko. "It's so hard to make this trip," Souji thought, "It's going to be so hard for her too."

When he went to see Yukiko at the Amagi Inn, she was dressed in the same kimono that she was thrown in the TV with.

Yukiko didn't know who had come through the door at first when Souji entered. "Welcome to… Hmm? Souji-kun… That's right, you're leaving tomorrow." She had a sorrowful look on her face.

"I am…," Souji said.

"Thanks for coming to see me before you leave," Yukiko smiled, "It means a lot to me."

"It's one stop I wasn't going to miss," Souji told her.

Yukiko looked at her feet as she said, "I… I was thinking of spending today as just another day. Helping with the housework, taking a long bath, and going to sleep… So I can… I can say goodbye without crying…" Her face had a solemn look.

"Please don't cry, Yukiko-chan," Souji tried to smile.

"As you see… I failed miserably. I kept thinking about you," Yukiko chuckled, "On top of that… Here you are, right in front of me. You're not helping at all."

"Well, I'm sorry," Souji smirked, "I could leave."

"You're so mean," Yukiko frowned.

"Sorry…," Souji said.

Suddenly, Yukiko's face screwed up seriously as she exclaimed, "That's it, I'm leaving town with you tomorrow!"

"Sure… Come with me," Souji smiled.

Yukiko chuckled, "Just kidding… for now." They both knew that they weren't kidding.

"If you change your mind," Souji grinned.

Yukiko said to Souji, "You know… After I decided to stay here and become the manager, I realized how afraid I was. Whether I can meet all the responsibilities… Whether I'll be able to support the whole staff on my own. I never thought of things like that."

"You'll be able to do it," Souji reassured her, "You know that."

"I've made my decision. Now, I have to make an honest attempt at it," Yukiko smiled, "I'll do my best to overcome my fear."

"You will," Souji said, "If anyone can… You've proven it to me."

She smiled, "And you'll be in my heart while I do, Souji-kun. We'll be together… even when we're apart. I promise I won't turn away from my problems and fears. I'm going to meet every challenge head-on, no matter how hard it seems. Remember what Ameno-sagiri said? "If mankind so wishes, I will return at any time." That's not what I wish for. I'll face myself, no matter what happens. Souji-kun… Thank you."

"No need," Souji said.

"I will always love you," Yukiko said purely.

"So will I. I love you."

There was an air… like there was a struggle not to break down and rush to embrace each other in front of the concierge. Eventually, they left each other's presence… Souji didn't want to.

He took a deep breath as he got off the bus from visiting the Amagi Inn. He went back to his temporary lodgings. It would be his lodgings for one more night. Scary thoughts… he was used to it by now.

"Have you said all your goodbyes now?" Dojima asked when he walked up to his uncle.

"Most of them," Souji answered.

"Did you cry?" Dojima joked, "Let me see your face."

"You wish I did," Souji smiled at him.

The three of them, Souji, Nanako, and Dojima all went to the Samegawa Floodplains to talk. They sat on the bench where Souji almost died from Yukiko's cooking and he took Nanako back when she ran away from home.

Dojima and Nanako were sitting down and Dojima said to him, "You look a lot more mature now."

"I do?" Souji asked.

"We've only been together for about a year, but kids grow up surprisingly fast," Dojima continued.

"I guess I had to become more mature," Souji thought.

Nanako sighed and Dojima said to her, "Nanako… Do you remember what we promised?"

Nanako didn't say anything until she nodded and said, "Take care of yourself, big bro. Don't get sick."

"I won't," Souji promised, "You too, little sis."

"Yup…," Nanako nodded. She looked downtrodden.

Dojima noticed as he said, "Don't look so sad, Nanako. We're all family, remember? It doesn't matter if we're apart. We can go see him when I get a vacation. Then we can talk about everything that's happened since the last time we saw him."

"He really means it," Souji thought. Dojima was spending more time at home and more time with Nanako since the incident.

"Yeah…," Nanako said slowly as she asked, "Will you remember me, big bro?"

"Of course I will, little sis," Souji responded. Who could forget her, especially after what they went through?

"It's a promise," Nanako said. She started to cry.

Dojima shook his head, "Ahh… Come on… Don't cry."

"I'm not crying!" Nanako protested.

"Oh well," Dojima shrugged, "I guess all kids end up being pushed around by their parents. Same goes for you, Souji." He looked at him and said, "Souji, it wasn't all that long, but all things considered, I did enjoy the time here with us. I really do think of you as part of the family."

"Likewise," Souji said.

"I'm surprised that my sister's kid would turn out to be such an upstanding kid," Dojima told Souji.

"I'm affronted," Souji smiled.

"Give Nanako a call sometime when you have a spare moment," Dojima suggested, "You're welcome to come visit us anytime. I'll leave your room as is. This is your second home, after all."

"Thanks…," Souji responded.

Nanako lifted her head and Souji got a startling response from her, "When I grow up, I want to marry you, big bro!"

"Wow…," Souji thought, "I wonder if I should tell Yukiko that she has competition from Nanako-chan?"

Dojima chuckled, "You're a stud, Souji. Sure, Nanako, if he's still available by the time you're an adult." He looked straight at Souji and said, "But that'll be a long time, won't it, Souji? Right?"

"Of course," Souji responded calmly. "It's like he expects me to go after a seven-year-old," Souji thought. Besides, he had another girl on his mind that had taken all of his attention away.

"Well, we'll be headed home," Dojima said, "If you haven't said goodbye to anyone yet, you should go ahead and do so."

Souji thought if he should go home. He had said goodbye to all of his good friends. He wandered around wondering what to do. Souji ended up at Junes. "What am I doing here?" "I don't need to be here." "But, I don't know… I feel like there is something left to do. I'm going to head to the food court."

As Souji walked out to the metal chairs, he saw a familiar face. It was Rion, smirking at him. He was sitting down at the "secret headquarters".

"Hey! Welcome to Nowheresville!" Rion waved, pushing up his glasses. Rion definitely was better when he was loved, Souji decided.

"Hey, smartass," Souji waved back as he sat down next to Rion, "Can you imagine how much time we spent here going over the case?"

"You mean how much time I had to waste listening to your bad ideas?" Rion responded, laughing.

"Shut up! I'm trying to reminisce," Souji punched him on the arm. It made Rion smirk and push up his glasses.

At that point, Teddie and Yosuke walked up from behind. They seemed shocked to see the pair, especially Souji, sitting there.

"Huh!?" Yosuke exclaimed.

As Teddie stood next to Souji, he said to him, "What a coincidence! It must be destiny!"

"I don't believe in destiny," Souji shook his head.

Next, Yukiko and Chie walked up from the right side. Yukiko had changed from her kimono. "Ah, so you guys came here too!" Chie exclaimed.

"It's our very own special headquarters… There are so many memories here…," Yukiko said.

"So many bad ones," Rion muttered, which resulted in a punch from Yukiko, "It's like you don't want to hear the truth!"

The rest of the group walked up next, Kanji, Rise, and Naoto. It was a barrage of first-years.

"Yo there, Senpai! Thought you'd be here!" Kanji told him as he came up from behind.

"We'd have a feeling we'd run into everyone if we came here," Rise said, a cheerful smile on her face now.

Naoto said to him, "We were planning on seeing you off at the station tomorrow… But I was feeling too restless, so I decided to come here."

"I think that relates to all of us," Rion said.

Souji responded, "You guys care… I'm touched." Souji really was happy.

"Well, since we're all here, why don't we have something to eat?" Yosuke suggested.

Chie decided to bug her boyfriend, "Ooh, let's have steak! Steak! And make Yosuke pay for everything!" She knew how Yosuke didn't like to pay.

"Will you shut up about your steaks…," Yosuke muttered. It made Souji chuckle to see that.

Of course, Yosuke bought Chie her steak, and Souji bought Yukiko her food. Souji knew Yosuke would cave in. The group started talking about the old times. The times they almost got frozen to death, shocked to death or how they had to tell Yosuke to shut up in general were all fun topics for the group to discuss.

"I really had fun in this world," Teddie said suddenly.

Yosuke replied, "Dude, your whole existence is about fun." He turned serious, "Well, what we've gone through wasn't all fun and games, but I've gotta say… I've never felt so fulfilled in my life."

Chie said to them, "It seems like we've been working on this forever… but at the same time, it felt like it went so fast."

"Was it only a year?" Souji asked, "Because sometimes… it felt like only a few days."

"We won't ever gather here again like this… or tear our hair out trying to solve the mysteries," Chie looked down.

Yukiko said, "Even if we wanted to talk about it all, there were so many extraordinary things that happened that no one would believe us. Come to think of it, I think it all started for me when Chie told me about the Midnight Channel."

"I think I heard about it from her too," Yosuke nodded.

"That's how I learned about it," Souji agreed.

He asked, "How did you learn about it, Chie?"

"I guess… It was just a random rumor? A lot of girls were trying it out," Chie said.

Kanji shrugged, "Huh. I wonder how it started, then."

"Who knows? Maybe someone accidently came across it?" Chie pondered.

"The Midnight Channel…," Yosuke said, "You know, that really was the cause of everything. I mean, the fog lifted after we caught Adachi, but there's still a lot of stuff that still isn't clear."

"Like the fog on the other side," Rion said.

"Some weird guy might try to use it to do bad things again," Teddie explained.

"We don't want that," Souji told them.

"Didn't that Ameno-something monster say… it granted us power?" Chie asked.

Naoto answered, "I bestowed power onto those who could brave the hollow forest. In other words, he gave the power to enter TVs to those who awakened to their Persona abilities."

"So we'd be his pawns," Souji muttered.

"But your hand slipped into the TV before anything happened to you, right?" Chie asked, "Does that mean you're an exception? Wait, what about Namatame and Adachi!? Those two could go into the TV before all this stuff about Personas, right?"

"What!?" Rise looked at them, "Then Senpai and the other two could do it for some other reason?"

Kanji looked at him, "There must be something you're not remembering. Anything come to mind, Senpai?"

Souji looked at the group; he saw Rion was in deep thought as well. "Figures…," Souji thought. He shook his head as he tried to focus. He was the exception of the group, and the only one besides Namatame and Adachi. "I got a letter," Souji said to them, "Nanako gave it to me before I left today."

Yosuke looked at Souji suspiciously, "A letter? Hey, this better not be another warning."

"The person who sent it is… Adachi!" Souji said in shock.

"Huh? This is… from jail?" Yosuke was confused, "You're right!"

Everyone was surprised by this development.

Souji read it out loud, "I'm sure you're surprised to get this letter out of the blue. I'm writing this because there is something I need to tell you. Every since I made it out alive, there are some things I understand now. It's true that my game is over. As you all insisted at the time, I'll abide by the rules of this world. But as long as I'm in stir here, I can't clean up after myself. So I hope this will give you something to think about, regarding the case. There's still this feeling that I can't shake. It's about how it all started… about that Midnight Channel. Now I remember… Someone told me about it when I first came to town… before I heard the rumors at the station. And I was intrigued when I noticed something similar was written on Namatame's reports as well. But… I can't remember who it was that told me. Since Namatame and I both gained our powers shortly after coming to Inaba… I have a feeling that has something to do with it. I don't know if any of this will be useful or not… But I hope it can help somehow."

Chie shook her head, "It's not very helpful that he can't remember who it was."

Yosuke said, "I'm not sure how to put it, but I kinda know the feeling." When they turned towards him, he said, "It's like… I don't know how to put it. Like something's connecting all of these things. Something beyond what we can see."

"A higher power, perhaps…," Rion opened his eyes. They looked at him strangely, but not as strangely as they might have a few months ago, "Anything is possible, now."

"I think Rion's finally lost it," Souji thought.

"That world, the Midnight Channel, the ability to enter TVs… They all feel like separate things. You know what I mean? First the rumors, then the serial murder, followed by us deciding to investigate the case… If they were really are separate, they wouldn't all fit together like this, right?" Yosuke put forth, "There has to be some kind of "conductor" behind all of this."

"So you think the person Adachi mentioned, the one who told him about the Midnight Channel, is this conductor?"

Everyone looked at her, and Chie got nervous, "D… Did I strike gold again? I… It's seriously something that just popped into my head."

"Senpai, is there anything like you can think of?"

"I just have to remember who that might be," Souji said, "I'm trying…" Souji thought that if the other two had heard about it as soon as they got here, and something had to have happened to them. Something must have happened to him. It hit him!

"There is something," Souji said, "I remember something."

"We were involved in a murder case last year, which we succeeded in solving. But the monster we fought last said we did well in "playing our parts"," Naoto deduced, "Perhaps this means Adachi and Namatame were "players" as well. Could it be that from the beginning, this serial murder case was merely a portion of a much larger scheme? And none of the people who were directly involved ever suspected it?"

"Until now," Rion said, "Trust a defective to figure something was up."

Yosuke gestured, "Hey, this "scheme"… Could it be the whole thing about filling both worlds with fog and turning mankind into Shadows?"

"Someone was behind the scenes then," Souji said, "Watching all of us… even Adachi and Ameno-sagiri."

"He manipulated Adachi and Namatame at the very beginning so the plan would work out perfectly?" Yosuke pondered.

Naoto suggested, "Let's go out into town. We might find something." She looked at Souji, "Although, you may be the only one capable of noticing it. Please contact the rest of us, should you come across anything."

Yosuke smirked, "We can't say our goodbyes tomorrow with this hanging over our heads! Let's go figure this out!"

As they were leaving, Souji thought, "I saw my relatives as soon I got off the train. I should talk to them first."

So, Souji headed out to try and find Dojima. Well, they weren't at the house like they said they were going to be. Souji ended up by the riverbed were he saw his cousin with Dojima nearby.

"Oh, Souji? Have you already finished seeing your friends?" Dojima asked as Souji came near.

"Just about, but I want to talk to you," Souji said.

"What's this about all of a sudden?" Dojima responded.

"The first day I arrived in town… What did I do?" he asked.

"The day you first came to town? We were the first ones to greet you, right?" Dojima pondered.

"Yeah," Souji answered.

"Did we stop anywhere along the way?" Dojima wondered, "I'm pretty sure me and Nanako left home that afternoon, picked you up, and came straight home." He laughed, "Now that I think back to that night, I was called straight back to work as soon as I got home, so I couldn't talk much. The very next day… Those murders started. A lot's happened since then, it's been one heck of a year, hasn't it?"

Nanako asked, "Hey, big bro? On that first day, didn't we stop at that one place? The gas station… I used the bathroom there."

"That's right," Souji responded. He started thinking back to the time he was at the gas station, but it was so long ago.

"You were talking to that weird attendant when I came back," Nanako continued.

"That weird attendant?" Souji asked.

Nanako nodded, "Yeah… When I first met you, I remembered the gas station attendant because he was weird."

Souji tried to remember meeting that gas station attendant.

Dojima said to Souji, "Hmm, now that you mention it, I do remember that… I filled the tank before we went home, huh? Yeah, I remember you talking to the attendant there. I didn't remember seeing him much before, so he stuck in my mind."

"That attendant…," Souji said to himself.

"But I don't know about calling him "weird"… It wasn't like he looked weird or acted funny. Yeah, come to think of it, I never saw that guy again."

Nanako cut in, "Umm… it wasn't really the attendant that looked weird. But after you talked to him, you looked sick, big bro."

"I looked sick?" Souji asked.

"You don't remember? I asked you on the way home "Are you carsick?" You said you were okay, but… That attendant… He was just a little scary for some reason."

"Hmm… I didn't know about that," Dojima shook his head.

"Really… I forgot," Souji commented.

Dojima continued, "I'm surprised you're asking all of these questions. I thought you just came here to reminisce. So why are you looking for the person you met first? Is something going on with that attendant? Is it someone you know?"

"It might be important, but you never know," Souji said. "Is this what we're looking for?" he thought.

Dojima had a frown on his face, "Well, just remember you're leaving tomorrow. I don't know what you're up to, but you should come home early tonight. There are some dark clouds on the horizon. It might rain soon."

"I understand," Souji said to the pair.

"Okay!" Nanako responded cheerfully.

"Well," As Souji started walking away, "Let's head to that gas station."

When he walked to the Shopping District, he decided to stop by the Velvet Room.

"Welcome… to the Velvet Room," Igor said as Souji entered.

"Hello," Souji replied.

"How may I help you?" Igor asked, "You have solved the mystery and deflected the fate that nearly fell upon you. Is there something else beyond this that you need our assistance with?"

"I don't think we're quite finished," Souji responded.

"There was something that led you here?" Igor pondered, "Well then, let's take a look and see what it is you might be sensing."

"Okay…," Souji nodded his approval as Igor held up his hands.

Shards of power appeared as Igor tried to see Souji's internal workings.

Margaret gasped at what she saw. Igor said, "Ah… This is a surprise. These are shards of power, allowing one to see through to the truth of things without being swayed by hollow rumors. Interesting… Indeed you have come here today for a reason."

"How does it relate to what I'm thinking?" Souji asked.

"I shall play my part as well," Igor nodded as he moved his hands. The shards of power came together to create an orb, "That is a crystal of power which you have nurtured through your journey. An orb that repels fabrications of all sorts, dispels lies, and shines upon the truth."

"Thanks…," Souji said as he pocketed the little, shining orb.

Margaret said to him, "Truth is a thing which only appears to those who have observed, considered, and made a choice. At the end of the path you chose lies the truth… Believe in it, and continue without faltering."

"I understand," Souji nodded.

"How marvelous," Igor chuckled, "It seems that you will reveal the journey's true end, one beyond our predictive power. Now go… To the place where everything began."

"I will," Souji said.

As Souji left the Velvet Room, it began raining.

He decided to go back one to the Room one more time. He had a feeling he should.

Only Margaret was there when he entered.

"Uh… hi, Margaret," Souji said.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," she greeted him, "I wonder how many times it's been that we've seen each other like this."

"Many times," Souji responded.

"Apparently, we have met for a purpose after all," Margaret said, "Do you remember? The Velvet Room is inseparable from the heart of its invited guest. The shape of the room and its residents are selected by my master, based on the number of guests and their destiny. But my predecessor is gone from this place for a completely different reason."

"Why?" Souji asked.

"No one ordered her to leave… She left of her own free will, to accomplish her own ends. Such a thing cannot happen to the residents of the Velvet Room. So I wished to know the reasons behind it. This predecessor's name… was Elizabeth. My sister," Margaret explained.

"Your sister!?" Souji exclaimed.

"My ultimate aim was to bring that foolish girl to her senses and return her here. To do so, I had to know why she left. And I felt that the key to understanding rested with you," Margaret continued.

"With me, how?" Souji inquired.

"But now, I'm even more confused," Margaret said, "I can't say, whether her choice was, in fact, foolish or not. All residents of the Velvet Room are destined to find themselves. It was true for her as well. Why did she suddenly give up on her quest? That was my greatest worry. But then again… Maybe my premises were flawed. Maybe she found her answer, and so left this place. In which case, my role is not to blindly bring her back." She asked herself, "What is it that she gained? And… Who am I?"

"How are you going to find out?" Souji asked.

"What I may receive from you will most likely show me the answers to those questions," Margaret said.

"Not another kiss, I hope," Souji thought.

"That is why fate brought a guest who not only talks, but one who holds unmatched power," Margaret explained, "I would like to issue a request to you. Not as my master's guest, but a personal request from me to you."

"What would that be?" Souji inquired.

"Would you fight a match against me?" she asked.

"What the…!" Souji thought, "Fight Margaret!"

"I won't force you, of course. There's no reason for you to go that far. After all, if we were to clash… I might sever your thread of fate," Margaret told Souji.

"Great, she'd try to kill me," Souji thought.

"But encounters always bring change to both sides. If you emerge victorious, you will surely gain something as well," Margaret tried to persuade him, "Please consider this offer carefully before making your decision. Should you opt to accept my request… Bring this to me where I will wait."

Souji got an invitation from Margaret. It was colored blue and said, "I will be waiting for you at Heaven's End." He thought, "Okay, she'll be in Heaven. That's where I'll be if I fight her."

"I look forward to seeing you again," Margaret said as a farewell.

"Oh god…," Souji thought, "Here we go… fighting Margaret. Maybe I should send Rion to fight her. He'd kill her, but I'd feel bad sending her to an early grave."

Souji began walking over to the gas station. At the gas station, was the "weird" attendant. "It's time to get some answers," Souji thought, "I want to find out what the hell is going on."

"Hi there, can I help you?" the attendant asked.

"Isn't this where I first…," Souji tried to question the attendant.

"First? What are you talking about?" the attendant looked confused, "Oh? Is this about the part-time job? I'm sorry, we don't have an opening yet."

"Not quite," Souji answered, "Do you know Tohru Adachi?"

The attendant looked puzzled for a second and then said, "Ah, that serial murder suspect? A real tragedy, wasn't it? But the case was solved, right? Thank goodness."

Souji didn't move, so the attendant asked, "Is there something else I can help you with?"

"Did Namatame and Adachi come to this gas station?" Souji asked.

The attendant said to him, "Well, that's a weird question to ask. I don't know if it was right here, but I might have met them before. I've been in this town a long time, so yeah, there's a good chance. But it's not like I knew them personally." The attendant sounded annoyed, "If you've got nothing else, do you mind leaving me alone?"

Souji thought, "This has to be the guy."

When Souji pestered the attendant again the gas station manager brought up, "You need something else? Hey, I asked you to leave me alone. Did you miss that?"

"No, I'm not," Souji responded, "Did you do anything to those two when they came here?"

"Huh? To those two?" the attendant questioned. The attendant suddenly said to Souji, "Ah… That's right, I remember now. I think I met them when they first came to town. So I greeted them saying, "Welcome to Inaba". But that's all. Just that." The attendant laughed, "What about it?"

"Then what did you do to me?" Souji asked.

Again chuckling, "What did I do? You don't remember? I met you here when you first came to town, and did the exact same thing as what I did to those two. I greeted you, that's all. Remember? We talked for a couple of minutes." Looking at Souji, "Hey, mind if I ask you something?"

"Yes, what is it?" Souji responded.

"Why all these questions?" the attendant inquired, "Is there something that's bothering you? About the time when we first met?"

Souji nodded, "Did you give me the power?"

The attendant broke out in laughter, "Amazing! You've reached me at last. Let's drop this charade," as the attendant chuckled, "To be quite honest, I was waiting for you to come. Adachi… Namatame… And you, Souji… It is I, who awakened that power within you three. The ones who had potential. But having said that, I am rather surprised."

Souji faced down the attendant. "This is it," Souji thought. Here was the person that started it all, the person that caused everything.

"So the last battle wasn't enough for you?" the attendant asked.

"I'm just trying to find out the truth," Souji answered.

"You certainly have the powers I was expecting," the attendant continued.

Souji asked, "Who are you?"

"You must know by now. Isn't that why you came?" the attendant answered, "Your friends were drawn to the spark I stirred in you. That's why they are here now with their awakened powers. Still, I didn't think you'd make it all the way to me. Indeed, I never expected this at all. You're really something."

The attendant started to walk forward, and Souji readied himself.

The attendant said, "What, you don't remember? When you first came to town, I gave your power a gentle push. Just like… this."

---

Souji's mind suddenly went back to when he met the attendant.

"Are you in high school?"

"…," Souji nodded.

"Does it surprise you to see how little there is out here? There's so little to do, I'm sure you'll get bored fast. You'll either be hanging out with friends or doing part-time jobs. Speaking of which, we're actually looking for part-time help right now."

Both had walked up as the attendant had said, "Give it a thought, why don't you? We don't mind if you're a student." They had shook hands, and that's when Souji had felt sick.

---

Souji started feeling sick again, really dizzy.

"You're not the only one I welcomed to town with a handshake greeting," the attendant told Souji, "I did the same for a few other outsiders like you. A handful of strangers was more than sufficient to stimulate a small place like this."

The attendant started walking away from Souji. "But it seems the stimulus was stronger than I imagined… enough to envelop this town in fog, and later lift it. Not only that, you now stand in front of me as if your assigned part wasn't enough for you. What for?"

"To learn the truth, and end everything," Souji said from his knees.

The attendant turned around and said, "The fog has lifted, and you are still not content? Why such greed? I guess it's the foolish nature of being mortal."

"Being mortal? Oh god… Rion was right," Souji thought, "Damn…"

The attendant started changing, and was suddenly floating in the air, wearing a robe.

"I am… Izanami," Izanami said, "Ameno-sagiri, ruler of the fog, is merely an aspect of myself that I birthed long ago."

"Damn Rion, I hate when he's right," Souji thought.

"You awakened to a power I had not imagined," Izanami told Souji, "And now you face me with it. I can no longer ignore this situation as mere foolishness. This may be fate, as decreed by the world. Very well… This time, I shall pit my full strength against you. But in return… you must come prepared to follow through in your futile resistance." Izanami chuckled, "I'll be waiting for you." Izanami disappeared.

Souji shook his head as he was still dizzy. He could hear his friends yelling for him. Rion, Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko ran up to Souji.

"Hey, are you alright!? Who was that you were just talking to!?" Chie asked worriedly, "Did she just disappear!? Wait… don't tell me!"

"That was Izanami," Souji explained, as he got to his feet, "She's the one who was behind it all. She gave the power to us all. She's on the other side."

"I was right about the higher power, I guess…," Rion pushed up his glasses, "I guess it isn't over, either."

Yosuke asked, "You're saying this so-called Izanami is the conductor, and she's waiting for us in the other world?"

"Yeah," Souji nodded.

"If we don't beat her, I'm sure it will just happen again," Yosuke said.

Chie said nervously, "O… Okay. The others aren't far off, so I'll call them up."

"Tell them this is the end of it all," Souji said.

"Right…," Yukiko said, "We'll put an end to her for sure."

"Alright, then once we're ready," Chie said, "Let's head to Junes."

Souji shook his head, as he thought about the fact that he had more battles to fight on the eve of him leaving.


	30. Chapter 30

Persona 4 Novelization Chapter 30

I own nothing of Persona and Atlus. I'm getting a little tired of writing this disclaimer, but if I don't, I'll be shot! Just kidding.

Wow… Chapter 30, who would have thought? It's amazing that I spent so much time writing this. Here we are, 320k in, and maybe 3 chapters to go? This is a short chapter, purposely. So, enjoy… Thanks.

---

Souji had to fight a goddess… a goddess named Izanami. It blew his mind when he thought about it. Such a being could not be beaten, could she? She put Souji down just by opening his mind to his memories with a handshake. It would take everyone to maybe take her down, and even then Souji wasn't sure. This woman, no, she was no woman… This goddess could destroy Japan if left unchecked. But, Souji had to fight her regardless. Souji sighed. Most likely, his friends were already waiting for him at Junes. What would he say to him? That a goddess was waiting for them, and when they got there she was going to mutilate them.

"So much for leaving in peace," Souji thought as he walked down the Shopping District towards the bus stop. He was headed to the food court after grabbing a new sword from Daidara. He carefully placed the blade in his jacket, trying not to rip through the cloth. He'd probably need a new one in a few hours anyways.

The Persona-users met under the covered "secret headquarters" after Yosuke called everyone up. Souji was the last to arrive. He was the one contemplating everything, of course.

The fox was sitting next to Souji. That was a little unnerving, but Yukiko who was on his other side, was more reassuring to him. With the fox sitting in the benches, Rion was now standing at the other side of the table, while the typical groups were sitting together. Kanji and Naoto were close by. Rise and Teddie were close by as usual, as well as Chie and Yosuke.

Chie was the first to speak, "Alright! This is finally it!"

"How many times have we said that?" Rion asked. He sounded really tired. "Four times," Rion thought.

"Shut up…," Chie responded.

"He's right, you know," Souji rolled his eyes.

"There's no doubt this time! So many things have happened until now, but we'll beat this Izanami and put an end to this!" Chie continued her diatribe, "Right?"

"Yes," Naoto nodded, "but since we were so spread out all over town until a moment ago, let's go over what happened. This is the last measure that must be taken. We need to be sure that we end this properly."

"Izanami," Souji said, "She was the one behind all of this."

"Yes," Naoto nodded, "Who would have thought that someone such as her would be hiding here?"

"We thought Ameno-sagiri was behind everything, but we found out she created him," Chie said.

"We don't have a choice then, but to try and defeat her," Souji explained.

"We will need some luck," Rion said, "You are saying we need to defeat the matriarch of Japan. Well, thank god we are out of our minds." Rion pushed up his glasses, "Ameno-sagiri… Ruler of the fog and mist and Izanami… mother of Amaterasu, Kagatsuchi, and Susano-O. We sure can pick them."

Souji sighed, "Way to put things in perspective."

"It seems that maybe even Izanami knew that Souji and Dojima-san were coming to that gas station that day," Naoto suggested.

"Hiding in the middle of town in a gas station," Yosuke shook his head.

"You saying she's a god? Is that possible!?" Kanji exclaimed.

"With what you've already seen, isn't that feasible?" Souji asked.

"You've got a point," Rise said.

"It doesn't matter!" Kanji yelled, "We'll just deal with her!"

"That's Kanji for you," Souji smirked.

Rion just pushed up his glasses, "If only everything was that easy…"

"Let's go into the TV," Souji said, "We'll find Izanami and ask her what the deal with her game is."

They entered the TV world for what could be the last time. The plaza's fog had lessened, but it was still there. Souji and the others surrounded Rise so she could search out the goddess. Kanzeon was summoned after Rise adjusted to the level of the fog.

She was nearly knocked back as the satellite Persona moved back and forth. She told the group, "I sense a tremendous presence… It's unlike anything I ever sensed before or faced. And it seems like a new area has formed.

"I bet it's that lady. She's waiting for us there," Yosuke said.

"She told me that she wants us to come," Souji added

Yosuke continued, "That reminds me. That Ameno-something or other we beat said stuff like, "We'll meet again." If that thing's gonna show up again, let's crush him completely so he can't cause any more problems from here on out."

"Damn straight!" Kanji exclaimed, "Let's go snap that thing in two. We'll do it and give Senpai a big farewell tomorrow!"

Yukiko smiled, "Let's do our best like always… Leader," Yukiko smiled. "I'll protect you," she thought.

Chie shook her head, "It's kind of sad that this… is gonna be the last time we do something like this. You know, this might be a weird thing to say, but it was a lot of fun."

Rion pushed up his glasses as he thought, "I wish it was not under such dangerous conditions. I would rather face Adachi again than Izanami."

Naoto answered Chie, "It's because we all strove together towards a common goal. There were many things we believed in without questioning them."

"That led us astray many times," Souji muttered.

"The culprit's identity… Their motives… There were many times where we nearly gave up," Naoto said.

"It may have been easier if we looked the other way, but we didn't," Yukiko frowned.

"Then we'd be dead," Souji responded.

"Even if we had to fight every inch of our way," Yosuke spoke, "I wanna go on, feeling, touching, seeing, and thinking for myself."

"Yeah," Yukiko nodded, "Still, one person can only understand so much. That's why we're all here together."

Chie exclaimed, "Right! All for one and one for all!"

"So long as someone's got your back, you can kick against the pricks no matter how tough they are!" Kanji told them.

"This is for our future!" Rise spoke passionately.

"So we can see him off tomorrow with no regrets," Yosuke said.

"I just want you all to be happy," Souji smiled.

"Eww….," Teddie said suddenly, and they all looked at him, "Yosuke has to always try and make himself look all cool. But he's so pathetic, it makes my skin crawl."

Yosuke answered, "Probably just fleas on your ratty old suit. I spilled juice on you earlier."

Teddie's eyes widened, "No wonder I smell of orangey freshness!"

Yukiko started laughing and the others joined in.

Souji told the group, "Let's do this." He looked at the stoic member of the group, "Are you ready?"

Rion pushed up his glasses, "You look like you have something else you want to do first, am I right?"

"What do you mean, Rion?" Yosuke looked at the oldest member of the group.

"Do you think we aren't ready?" Chie asked Souji.

"I think…," Souji shook his head. "How does he know?" he thought, "Do I really want to fight Margaret? She could be really difficult, and we might all die before we even fight Izanami. But, it might give us the experience we need to beat her. I guess… in the end… We should fight Margaret." He told the group, "There's a person waiting for us in Heaven that I think we should fight."

"Heaven?" Yukiko asked, "Where Nanako was?"

"Yeah…," Souji nodded, "I was issued a challenge… An invitation, really. I think it will give us the experience we need to beat Izanami."

"If that's what Sensei wants… Then that's what we should do," Teddie agreed.

"Okay Senpai, let's get going to Heaven," Rise smiled.

Souji sighed. He hoped he would not get them all killed trying to fight his assistant.

Walking through Heaven now was a joke. The Shadows ran away from Souji because they were so scared of his new Personas. He'd be scared too if he was a Shadow.

"Amazing…," Yosuke said, "Nothing is trying to blow us up." They were walking safely and soundly up the floors.

"I'm not complaining," Souji responded.

The Persona-users had finally walked up to the platform on the top level where they had recently beaten up a plant Shadow that absorbed physical attacks. Souji pulled Rion over to the side.

Souji walked up alone to meet Margaret, the woman who had kissed him randomly. Most likely, the woman who was also going to blast Souji into oblivion shortly as well was facing him.

As they were surrounded by those statuesque angels, Margaret said to Souji, "So, you've come…"

"It was my decision," Souji responded.

"I spoke to my master after you left," Margaret said.

"What did he say?" Souji asked.

"It seems Elizabeth also requested a duel from our last guest," she responded, "Though, there's no way of knowing if he took her up on that offer."

"Well… I better not let her down," Souji thought.

Margaret chuckled, "I called my sister foolish, but it seems we are kin indeed."

"Is that a bad thing?" Souji inquired.

Margaret smirked, but she turned serious as she asked, "Are you sure you're ready?"

Souji sighed, "I hope I don't I get them killed, but I'm ready."

"As the one who rules over power… I will fight with the utmost deference to you," Margaret explained, "Show me what lies beyond a mere exchange of words."

"Here goes nothing," Souji said as the battle began.

The group ran up to face the assistant of the Velvet Room.

"Who the hell is… that?" Kanji asked.

"She is our opponent," Rion said, pushing up his glasses.

"I am charged with the heat and tension of battle," Margaret told them as the Persona-users circled her, "Now, we begin. Don't disappoint me!"

Rise remarked from her position far away from the battle, "Whoa! She's beautiful…" She seemed jealous of her beauty. Margaret was now floating in the air and the Persona cards were floating around her when Rise asked, "Hey, Souji-senpai? Who is she? How do you know…? What the!? She's floating!? H… Her power level is insane! What is she!? Don't tell me you're going to fight her!?"

"It seems we have no choice," Rion sighed, "Let's try not to die everyone."

"Understood," Souji nodded and crushed his card, "Trumpeter!" "Debilitate!"

Rion stabbed his card over his heart and said, "Ameno-waka-hiko!" "Power Charge!"

Chie struck her card with her kick and yelled, "Suzuka Gongen!" "Power Charge!"

"Kamui!" "Matarukaja!" Teddie increased their attack as he cut through his card.

Yosuke cut through his own card with his kunai, "Susano-O!" "Masukukaja!"

Yukiko attacked with her own Persona as the flames burst into the air, "Amaterasu!" "Agidyne!"

"Rokuten Maoh!" "Marakukaja!" Kanji had blown his card to the moon with his chair.

"Yamato Takeru!" "Megidoloan!" The air crackled with energy as Naoto's tiny Persona fired a spherical bomb into Margaret.

Then it was Margaret's turn. She attacked viciously with her compendium book as she slammed into Yukiko.

"Yukiko!" Souji yelled.

"Diarahan!" Teddie retaliated.

Margaret attacked again, hitting Teddie with the large book, filled with all of the Personas ever made.

"Damn it!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"That hurt a bear-y lot!" Teddie said as he bounced back up.

"Our turn!" Chie yelled, "Suzuka Gongen!" "God Hand!" Chie's Persona came from up high and slammed into Margaret.

"Here now! Rokuten Maoh!" Kanji exclaimed, "Primal Force!" The Persona's sword was thrown at Margaret and crashed into her at an amazing speed.

"Rise and resurrect! Ameno-waka-hiko!" "Hassou Tobi!" Rion ran at Margaret with his ninjato bared as the Persona encircled her with the arrows drawn.

As the arrows were about to hit, Souji crushed his own card and called his own Persona, "Yoshitsune!" "Hassou Tobi!" The heroic warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune sliced into Margaret eight times as the eight arrows cut into her.

"Damn…," Yosuke said, "Brave Blade!" He was still amazed as "Susano-O!" fired his cutting blade into Margaret.

Then, the fight got interesting.

"I'm even more intrigued," Margaret said as she opened her book. "Siegfried!" was summoned and did a variation of Surt's strongest burning fire called "Meltdown!"

Fires raged among the area and melted the angelic statues. It was burning the group, and the only ones that were completely immune were Yukiko and Rion. Souji took slight damage and the rest were suffering from everything from blisters to smoke inhalation.

"No way!? She can use Personas!? Who is she!?" Rise asked, amazed.

"Amaterasu!" "Mediarahan!" Yukiko quickly healed the burnt team, and then threw the fan into Margaret.

Teddie struck the assistant with the claw while Naoto attacked with her Persona as she shot her card, "Vorpal Blade!"

Rion charged his Persona again, while calling out, "I suggest you guard, Yukiko."

"You sure?" she asked.

"Yes," Rion responded, "Souji! Switch to something else!"

"Okay…," She responded as she raised her fan and Rion took a knee and crossed his arms.

"Hmm…," Souji thought on what to do, "Shiki-Ouji!" "Power Charge!"

Chie charged her Persona again as well as she placed a well-timed kick at Margaret.

"Susano-O!" "Garudyne!" Yosuke yelled out as Margaret felt the air rush by her.

Then, Margaret attacked. "Don't let me down!" Loki was summoned. "Cocytus Pain!" Massive icicles were coming and then flying down upon the group and Souji understood why Rion and Yukiko were guarding now. They'd be dead otherwise.

Souji and Teddie were fine, but everyone else was shivering and turning blue. Kanji had an icicle hanging off his nose. If it was not a life or death situation, Souji would have laughed.

"No more playing around!" Kanji knocked off the icicle on his nose, "Primal Force!"

It knocked over the Velvet Room lady.

"Let's go, Souji!" Yosuke exclaimed at his leader as he spun his kunai.

"Okay…," Souji responded, "Let's get her."

Souji shouldered his blade and charged Margaret. His slash diagonally struck Margaret in the stomach and was followed by two kunai blows from Yosuke, and a flip-kick by Chie. A fan flew in and struck her in the face, and Margaret's arm was sliced by a short blade. Margaret had to deal with being shot, being sliced by a claw, and hit by a chair.

Margaret slowly got up as she said to them, "You will honor me as by fighting as though you meant to kill. To hold back would be nothing short of insulting. I'll tell you now, discard any concern you have for me."

"Guard Teddie!" Souji yelled as Margaret flipped her book open. Souji switched back to "Yoshitsune".

Teddie tried to get down, when Margaret said, "I was careless." "Oukuninushi!" "Narukami!"

The charged lightning came out in a circle and struck everyone in the group. Everyone's hair was on end, and even more burns were apparent on their skin. Souji could smell burnt fur.

Rion and Kanji helped Teddie back to his feet while Yosuke yelled, "Susano-O!" "Brave Blade!"

Chie released her charged power upon the assistant, "Suzuka Gongen!" "God's Hand!"

Souji attacked as well, "Yoshitsune!" "Hassou Tobi!" They watched the general slice into her.

Kanji struck again with his chair of fury, "Rokuten Maoh!" "Primal Force!"

Yukiko healed the group, "Amaterasu!" "Mediarahan!"

Rion again was trying to shield himself from an oncoming attack. Seeing this, Naoto moved in front of him just in time for Margaret's next attack. Souji switched to "Norn" right at the last minute.

"Just watch!" Margaret exclaimed as she attacked, "Cu Chulainn!" "Divine Wind!"

Souji felt refreshed after being hit by barrages of air and gusts. The only other that was not hurt was Yosuke. The rest of them had cuts on their skin from the high speed wind that slid past them. Rion even had to open his arms from his guarding position and stop Naoto from blowing away.

"Man…," Souji said as he drew out "Surt!" "Primal Force!"

Teddie healed the group, "Mediarahan!"

Margaret attacked again, "Withstand this!" "Oberon!" "Mind Charge!"

"Everyone guard!" Souji exclaimed, "She's going to do something insane!"

Margaret attacked indeed, "Withstand this!" "Ardha!" "Megidoloan!"

The same sphere of power that Naoto attacked Margaret with hit the group with even more force. The effects were painful indeed.

"Mediarahan!" Yukiko healed the group.

"Bufudyne!" Teddie attacked with "Kamui!"

Rion weakened Margaret, "Ameno-waka-hiko!" "Debilitate!"

Souji used "Yoshitsune!" again, "Power Charge!"

Kanji helped the group out, "Marakukaja!"

So did Yosuke, "Masukukaja!"

And then it became a pattern of attacks by the group, and then uses by Margaret of her Personas. It was always a pattern of Siegfried, Loki, Oukuninushi, Cu Chulainn, Oberon, and Ardha. The group had constantly had "Debilitate!" "Masukukaja!" "Matarukaja!" and "Masukukaja!" casted.

Finally, after a few turns of the repeated casting of "Mediarahan!" and "Hassou Tobi!", Margaret said to the group, "Phew… How long has it been since I've felt this invigorated? My apologies, but I'm even more eager to defeat you now!"

"Bring it on!" Souji retorted. He was getting revitalized by fighting as well. He wanted to take her down.

The "Debilitate!" that Rion had cast wore off and Margaret attacked, "Just watch!" "Helel!" "Morning Star!"

It was even stronger than the attack from "Ardha" and the blast that came from heaven slammed into everyone.

Souji pulled a piece of skin from his arm. That disturbed him.

Yukiko cut through her card, "Amaterasu!" "Mediarahan!"

Sadly, Margaret followed with "Diarahan!"

"Dammit it all!" Kanji exclaimed, "We have to start all over!"

So, they started over against Margaret.

"Don't be so discouraged," Rion said, pushing up his glasses, "We just need to keep going." "Ameno-waka-hiko!" "Power Charge!"

Souji weakened Margaret, "Yoshitsune!" "Debilitate!"

"Go Suzuka Gongen!" "Power Charge!" Chie charged up as well.

Yosuke attacked as well, "Susano-O!" "Brave Blade!"

Kanji struck Margaret, "Here now!" "Primal Force!"

Naoto shot her card, "Yamato Takeru!" "Mind Charge!" She was getting ready to repay the favor that Margaret was giving them earlier.

"Bearsona!" "Marakukaja!" Teddie was defending his team.

"Keep it up guys!" Rise was cheering them on.

Margaret attacked again. This time, she attacked Rion, sending flying cards at him. He cut them down in mid-flight.

Naoto used "Megidoloan!" after the attack.

Chie used "God Hand!"

Rion and Souji both used "Hassou Tobi!"

After that, the pattern of Siegfried, Loki, Oukuninushi, Cu Chulainn began again. That meant that Rion, Yukiko, and Teddie had to guard at certain points and lots of healing needed to be administered.

When Kanji was able to get a lucky hit and knocked Margaret down, he said to Souji, "Just say the word and its go time!"

"Let's get her!" Souji responded and a barrage of chairs, various swords, fans, kicks and punches, claws, and gunshots fired upon her.

Of course, Margaret started the "Mind Charge!" and "Megidoloan!" tactics again.

Peeling skin was not pleasant, and being followed by "Meltdown!" "Cocytus Pain!" "Narukami!" and "Divine Wind!" were even more enjoyable in Souji's mind. Could anyone tell he was being sarcastic?

Yet, the Persona-users did not give up, and continued to fight on with "Power Charge!" followed by "God Hand!" and "Hassou Tobi!" along with "Debilitate!" The group retaliated with "Garudyne!" "Bufudyne!" and "Agidyne!" as well as "Primal Force!" As long as there was a healthy supply of "Mediarahan!" they were slowly making headway after Margaret had healed herself.

She changed her pattern again. Instead of "Mind Charge!" and "Megidoloan!" with "Oberon!" and "Ardha!" she now used "Power Charge!" with "Oberon!"

She yelled out, "Withstand this!" and as she called out, opening her book, "Yoshitsune!" "Hassou Tobi!" Rion yelled back, "Souji… Try and interfere!"

"Yoshitsune!" Souji yelled as well, crushing his card.

The pair of generals matched swords and Margaret's Persona could not get past Souji's.

"Good…," Rion breathed a sigh of relief, "Power Charge!" as Ameno-waka-hiko rose into the air.

Yukiko healed the battered team, "Mediarahan!"

It would all come to an end for them when Margaret pulled out her "Oberon" for a different reason. She exclaimed, "Megidoloan!"

No one was left standing for the team when the attack hit… Nobody…

"Senpai! Guys!" Rise yelled.

Souji slowly rose to his feet. His Persona, "Yoshitsune" had an ability that allowed it to take the blow so he could barely survive. Souji still felt extremely sore all over. Souji looked around, no one was moving.

"Yukiko!" he yelled, "Teddie! Chie! Rion! Yosuke! Naoto! Kanji!" "What happened?" Souji thought.

Margaret didn't relent, "Siegfried!" "Meltdown!"

Souji shrugged off the burns and changed his Persona. He crushed the card and called out, "Ishtar!" "Samarecarm!"

Souji slowly started bringing his teammates back from the brink while dodging Margaret's attacks including "Hassou Tobi!"

Souji sighed in relief as he was finally able to switch back to Personas to protect himself against the various elements that Margaret used against them.

He told the newly revived members that were previously knocked out, "We need to finish this!"

As "Debilitate!" was cast by Souji's Trumpeter to protect him from "Narukami!" there were two "Power Charge!" casts as well as three other buffs and "Mind Charge!" and "Agidyne!"

A few more turns later, Margaret tried to cut Souji and the others down with "Hassou Tobi!" again, but struggled damaging either Rion's "Ameno-waka-hiko" or Souji's own "Yoshitsune".

Margaret was met by a few "Hassou Tobi!" of their own, "God Hand!", "Primal Force!", "Brave Blade!", "Vorpal Blade!" and "Bufudyne!"

Margaret finally fell from her floating position and the cards dropped around her.

"Thank god…," Yosuke sighed, brushing off the dirt from broken tiles that were crushed around him.

"You guys won!" Rise exclaimed happily.

"I can't believe it," Souji thought, "I thought we were going to die. Note to self… Don't fight Margaret again."

The rest of the group had stood back to let Souji speak and to talk to Margaret, who obviously had something to say to him.

"I survived," Souji said to her, and she smiled slightly.

She said to him, "While we were fighting… I recalled that "fairy tale" that girl told me once."

"Fairy tale?" Souji looked confused.

"Before Elizabeth left… she told me this," Margaret told Souji, "A soul slumbers at the ends of the world… that of a young man who devoted himself to becoming a seal. That soul is risking itself to prevent mankind, who has lost the joy of living, from calling down ultimate destruction. She told me that she was going to save him from that fate. To tell the truth, I wondered what sort of nonsense she was speaking. But no… She was being serious."

"She seriously wanted to save him?" Souji asked. He thought, "How?"

"She said if she couldn't do it alone, she would combine her powers with those who had bonded with that soul to create a miracle," Margaret explained, "Maybe all that she said was the truth. And that was the reason that she left the Velvet Room. She must have come to realize what I now understand."

"I wish I understood," Souji thought.

Margaret said, "You, a human, won against me, one who rules over the power. You have shown me one's potential. Those who search for themselves… are "no one" as long as the search continues. It isn't emptiness, but limitless potential. It means the seeker can choose anything to be that he or she wishes. That's why Elizabeth made a choice. I had planned to bring her back by force. But I won't interfere with her anymore. Her wish is staggering to contemplate… But fortunately, the chains of time are loose for us residents."

"How old are you anyways?" Souji thought.

"Even if there isn't enough time in a single era, and it takes her eons… She will accomplish her mission," Margaret explained.

"This boy my sister took a fancy too." Margaret chuckled, "I'm somewhat curious to see what kind of human he's like."

Margaret took steps towards her and Souji had an urge to step back, since the last time she did so he was kissed. She said to him, "Your victory was truly amazing. And I must thank you Souji. Of all the humans I've encountered until now, you shook my soul the most. This is proof of my reverence… Please accept it."

Margaret handed a bookmark to Souji, which he took. He felt a little slighted that it was not something more important, but he would not wanted to be kissed again in front of Yukiko.

Margaret said to Souji, "With that much power and will, you can overcome any obstacle. Should you ever run up against your limits and feel like you can not overcome your boundaries, you'd be lying to yourself. Simply recall today's victory."

"I'll keep that in mind," Souji responded.

"There's no need to worry," Margaret said, as she walked closer, "Even if you should lose everything… your soul will not be isolated. And if that does happen… Just as Elizabeth did for that boy, I shall do for you."

"Umm… thanks," Souji responded. "At least I can sacrifice myself without worries now," Souji thought, "On second thought, I'd rather not." He thought about what he'd be missing.

Margaret walked back a little before turning her head and saying, "Well then… I will return to the Velvet Room and take up my original duties. Let us meet again." Margaret walked off and disappeared.

The group seemed really confused by the whole battle and talk, Souji included. Souji knew he was going to get a lot of crap for having them fight her.

---

Okay, not much farther to go.

---

Here's where I attempt to explain one of the mystery's of Persona

Today's mystery- Yosuke's Headphones.

---

The group was walking in the 6th area of Heaven when a group of the wretched dice Shadows came upon them. Only, not everyone noticed their presence.

They easily disposed the crescent Shadows that accompanied them with Yukiko's "Amaterasu!" "Agidyne!"

Yet, Souji's "Deathbound!" with "Byakko!" was not doing enough damage even with Chie and Kanji's help.

So, Souji yelled, "Everyone, get out! We need to clear the area before they blow!"

Chie yelled at her boyfriend, who had never even noticed the Shadows, "Yosuke, you need to leave! There are Shadows here!"

The Shadows blew up with Yosuke nearby, knocking him into a door.

"Yosuke!" Chie yelled, "Why do you always wear those stupid headphones!?" She ran up to him.

"I wonder what he listens to, you know." Souji said as he walked up to him.

Naoto took off the headphones and said, "These are not headphones for music. These are noise canceling headphones."

"For someone who loves to talk, he can't stand to hear other people talk?" Souji inquired.

"Yosuke…," Chie shook her head.

---

And that's the mystery of Yosuke's headphones.


	31. Chapter 31

Novelization of Persona 4 Chapter 31

I don't own Persona, SMT, or anything of the such. Atlus owns it all, plus Atlus-USA. If you want to buy this game in Europe, call Square-Enix.

It's the beginning of the end. It's been fun as we watch it go. It took so long because…

1. It got really redundant with the bosses. I'm tired of Power Charging, Mind Charging, and Debilitating.

2. I was really busy, and am heading to Miami.

3. Light shine upon the Heavens…I'm kidding. Actually, 2-3 papers a day is more like it.

Question of the chapter… Try to answer it if you can. Where in Japan is Inaba? It does exist. I'll give you a hint. It was important during the Meiji Restoration.

---

The group walked back from Heaven, which left most of the group confused after fighting someone who nearly killed them all with ease. Souji thought it was a good learning experience, but who was he kidding. He nearly got them all killed.

As they reached the TV plaza, the group collapsed to their knees for a short breather. Souji thought that it was a well-deserved break for them. Unfortunately, Rion was giving him a look like he wanted answers about that last battle. Thankfully, he also gave a look like he was not going to ask out of respect.

"I don't know how… or where I'd start," Souji thought, "The others are already confused about this ordeal."

Yosuke looked up at Souji from near the three TVs, "So… Are we going after Izanami now?"

Souji nodded, "Yeah, now we are going after her."

"Then let's do it!" Chie pumped her arm up from one knee.

"Okay, follow me!" Rise exclaimed as she started to lead them towards the powerful presence. She was the only one not to fight Margaret after all, and was in the best shape.

The place looked scary, not as scary as the area where Adachi was, but it was rather foggy and mysterious. The whole area was made of diagonal red tile, and oddly shaped blue rock-like walls. Spires lined the entryway. Souji recognized the area. It was just like the place where he was in that dream when he first came to Inaba that night.

"I knew it had to be somewhere," Souji thought, "This time… I am going to kick that Shadowy-thing's ass! It was Izanami taunting him at the beginning of the year!"

And so their journey into the place they decided to name "Yomotsu Hirasaka" began.

It would be another lovely journey into hell, Souji would soon decide for himself. He knew it would be hard just because of the fact that he had no choice but to finish it one day without rest and they had already beaten someone stronger than Ameno-sagiri today.

The first floor… The first floor, as soon as they entered the group was taunted by Izanami, "So you came… Your futile efforts will be rewarded."

"That bitch…," Souji muttered.

They had not gone around one corner when the Shadows came out to play, and Souji was raring to go. Can you tell he was being sarcastic?

The first Shadow was a floating book. There were four of them. They were nasty little things. Two had magic barriers in place, while the other two had physical barriers put on them.

"What do we do?" Yosuke asked. "Damn it!" He had just cast "Garudyne!" at one of the two who had used "Makarakarn!"

"You're making this too difficult on yourself," Souji said, pushing up his fog-glasses while smirking at Rion. Rion just chuckled at him. He told Chie and Kanji, "Focus your attacks at the ones who have magic barriers." He looked at Yukiko and Teddie, "Blast away at the ones with the physical shields!"

Yukiko nodded, "Right!" "Hear me Amaterasu!" "Agidyne!"

"Bearsona!" "Bufudyne!" Kamui clawed his card.

"Here now!" "Primal Force!" Kanji attacked the book.

Chie shook her head as she proceeded to back flip, "Suzuka Gongen!" "God Hand!" The Persona flew down into the book.

The books burned, froze, were crushed, or skewered.

"Okay, let's go," Souji said, just to get struck by shards of ice. "Alright, who the hell did that!?" He yelled, obviously pissed off.

Yukiko pointed at the Shadows with the crescent-shaped fins on top, "I think it was them."

"Good observation," Naoto said sarcastically as she pulled out her gun and started firing, only to be hit by lightning.

"Well, that's a shocker," Rion muttered as he pierced his card, "This is why you're no good," "Ameno-waka-hiko!" "Hassou Tobi!"

As the arrows rang home on the pair of crescent-Shadows, another pair of monstrosities came forth firing more shards of ice at Yukiko. "I can't fight them if they're going to knock me down!" she yelled.

"Leave it to me!" Yosuke exclaimed, "Susano-O!" "Magarudyne!"

The wind blew the two new Shadows into the air and away from the battle.

"See, that wasn't too bad," Yosuke shrugged.

"Says you," Naoto said, getting up off the ground, "You didn't get electrocuted."

"It was your fault you got shocked," Rion told her.

"Shut up," Naoto pushed him.

"Anyways, let's get out of here," Souji said, rolling his eyes. He muttered, "Kids…"

Of course, you could never get too far until something else tries to kill you. In this case… it was a pair of Shadows hooked together by spokes that spun around and slammed into you.

Kanji had the misfortune of trying to attack it head on.

"Rokuten Maoh!" "Primal Force!" The attack made it stronger, "Damn it!"

The Shadows just responded by spinning around and into Kanji.

"Damn it," Kanji said, "Oh… I'm feeling a little woozy."

"Hurry up and destroy it!" Souji exclaimed, "Surt!" "Maragidyne!"

The flames scorched the Shadows, but that was not all as Naoto came forward to meet the only living Shadow that was left, "Yamato Takeru!" "Hamaon!"

The light enveloped the Shadow and made it disappear into nothingness.

"Let's move," Souji nodded.

They walked up the stairs to the 2nd level. What would they find, but more Shadows!

"Guys!" Rise told them, "It has no weaknesses." She scanned the idol Shadows ahead of them. She noticed that they were being surrounded and exclaimed, "There are plant Shadows coming from behind. They don't have weaknesses either!"

"Won't this be fun?" Rion smirked, pushing up his glasses. He pulled out his sword and charged one of the idol Shadows, dodging its spikes and slicing its head off.

"Isn't it always?" Souji returned the smirk, as he crushed his card. "Yoshitsune!" "Hassou Tobi!" The general darted in and out of the rest of the idols, slicing through them like they were made of paper.

"That was easy," Souji smiled as he and Miyamoto no Yoshitsune moved away from the whirling branches of the plant Shadows.

"Bearsona!" Teddie cut down one plant Shadow as "Kamui!" fired shards of ice into the plants.

"Persona!" Yukiko sliced through her card, closed her fan, "Amaterasu!" "Agidyne!"

Fire and ice shattered the Shadows into little pieces as they watched the small shards burned.

As the group walked to the stairs, they encountered beetles. Variants of the ones they had fought before, it confronted the Persona-users.

The beetles were striking the group, lifting them into the air, and causing general havoc.

Rion had his visor on with the Persona in the air, trying to scan the Shadows while using his sword to parry a beetle.

"Souji…," he said, "Lightning will be effective in this contest."

"That's all I needed to hear," Souji responded, as he was currently slicing downward at a beetle before it struck at Yukiko. "Yoshitsune!" "Ziodyne!"

Kanji followed up, "Here now!" "Mazionga!" As the beetles fell over, Kanji said, "It's go time!"

Souji shook his head, "Let's just finish them off." As they all charged, fists and kicks flailing, while swords and kunai whirled.

The third floor as expected, contained more new Shadows for the group to fight… and of course, more taunting by the goddess Izanami.

"It never ends," Souji shook his head at seeing mages and pot Shadows coming at them..

"What did you expect?" Yosuke asked, "Let's get moving!"

As the pots advanced towards Yukiko and Yosuke, Yukiko attacked first, "Amaterasu!" "Agidyne!" and Yosuke followed suit, "Susano-O!" "Garudyne!"

"Well, that helps," Chie said, seeing the pots die. "Woah!" she barely moved out of the way of the flames of the magi.

"I'll darken their day," Naoto stepped forward, shooting her card, "All yours!" "Mamudoon!"

Watching the magi disappear into the darkness, they made their way to a door with a strong presence.

"Guys, there's something powerful behind here," Rise told them.

"Let's just get through this so we can reach Izanami," Souji responded.

They opened the door to see a massive Minotaur, larger than any of the others they had ever faced before.

Izanami's voice rang out, "The power that you have attained… And your determination to face me… Let's see how strong they are…"

So, the fight with the super Minotaur began.

"It's really strong guys!" Rise exclaimed as it charged.

The Shadow proceeded to slam straight into Yukiko, or it would have it Souji had not have taken the blow.

"Souji-kun!" Yukiko yelled out as she saw Souji crash to the ground, "Are you okay!?"

"I… I'll be alright," Souji said shakily. "Man that hurt," Souji thought as he struggled to his feet.

"Amaterasu!" "Diarahan!" Yukiko called out and Souji felt his bruises healing.

Souji, then proceeded to yell at his battle lieutenant, "Rion! Weaken it!"

"As you wish," Rion said, "Ameno-waka-hiko!" "Debilitate!"

As the Shadow weakened, Souji charged, "Kohryu!" "Mind Charge!"

Chie kicked her card, "Suzuka Gongen!" "Power Charge!"

"Here we go!" Kanji yelled, "Rokuten Maoh!" "Marakukaja!" The sword-wielding Persona made the group stronger.

Teddie strengthened the team, "Kamui!" "Matarukaja!"

Naoto followed Souji's route, "Yamato Takeru!" "Mind Charge!"

The Minotaur attacked again, smashing into everyone simultaneously by spinning, "Rampage!"

Souji wiped a small amount of blood from his mouth as he saw Teddie and Yosuke stagger around. Teddie yelled through the Shadow's roar, "Bearsona!" "Mediarahan!"

"That's enough!" Yosuke said, albeit a little woozy, "Susano-O!" "Brave Blade!" Souji watched as his Persona attacked the Shadow.

"Hell yeah!" Chie yelled, "God Hand!" watching "Suzuka Gongen!" crash into the Shadow.

"Let's go!" Kanji yelled, "Primal Force!" The sword of his Persona stopped the Shadow from attacking.

"Here me Amaterasu!" Yukiko's fan slit her card, "Agidyne!"

Naoto and Rion, shot and pierced their cards at the exact same time, and they fired away, "Megidoloan!" Of course, this resulted in Rion collapsing to the ground with the Persona's massive effects on the mind. The Shadow suffered from the massive amounts of energy that was afflicted upon it.

"You're gone!" Souji yelled, crushing his card, while standing with one foot forward, "Kohryu!" "Ziodyne!" The Ssu-Ling Dragon's lightning pierced through the Shadow's heart and destroyed it.

"Man, that took forever," Yosuke shook his head.

"Not really," Souji responded.

Yukiko fanned herself, "I'm still sweaty."

"Anyways," Souji was saying, "Let's keep…"

Izanami interrupted with a laugh, "So that wasn't enough to break your will. Come, then… Though you may accomplish nothing but to needlessly prolong your suffering."

"Shut up, you bitch!" Yukiko responded vehemently. Souji wanted to kiss her for that comment. Rion just pushed up his glasses as he smirked.

Anyways, they moved up to the 4th floor. Souji could scream in anguish, "Why did there have to be new Shadows every floor!?"

Pixies attacked the team on their way down a corridor. As they were being barraged by arrows, Souji took command of the situation and was not going to take anymore of the shit.

"Yoshitsune!" "Hassou Tobi!" Souji smirked as he crushed his card.

The general cut through the remaining arrows and the poor little pixies.

"Too easy," Souji said afterwards.

"Well, not all of us have an overpowered Persona," Yosuke rebuked Souji.

"I have one," Rion told him.

"Be quiet," Yosuke responded, "I wasn't talking to you."

Yukiko started chuckling again.

They stopped chuckling when huge swords started attacking them. The Shadows were relentless in trying to slice them in half. The height from which the swords started their attack provided so much force that no single Persona-user could stop the attack with their own weapon.

"Damn," Souji muttered after nearly being cleaved in two.

"Kamui!" Teddie exclaimed, "Mabufudyne!" The shards of ice that appeared and covered the swords rusted them in place.

Teddie growled at the swords as the rest of the group ran towards the Shadows and began to methodically cut them down. A diagonal slice down by a long sword, or kunai slices made short work of the sword Shadows.

They shrugged their shoulders as they put their weapons away. They were starting to become worn out, but they trudged on.

5th floor, new Shadows! Souji shook his head in frustration.

Those dive bombing eagles were an annoying threat as soon as they came up the stairs. Teddie made short work of them with his "Bufudyne!" They barely got a chance to dive bomb them.

Those little mages that were supported by a horse-Shadow thing was casting wind at the Persona-users from behind. That would be a large problem for Souji, except for the fact he had "Norn" equipped and he was protecting Rion from danger. They used their weakness magic-user to kill them, and that was "Rokuten Maoh" with Kanji with "Mazionga!"

Then one of those wavy monsters that looked like DNA attacked the group. It was amusing when they attacked and did damage by waving their arms and doing damage. Previous experiences against these kinds of Shadows say use magic, so they did and it failed miserably. So, they had Rion and Chie use "Hassou Tobi!" and "Agneyastra!" respectively to get rid of these Shadows.

Souji wiped sweat off of his brow after dispatching the final Shadow, "About time."

"What's awaiting us next floor?" Yukiko asked Souji.

"One way to find out," Yosuke replied, walking up the stairs.

The 6th floor, as Teddie would point out was, "Very Teddious!"

It was filled with long corridors and winding turns. Plus, difficult and exciting new Shadows!

"Yay, Tank Shadows!" Souji exclaimed sarcastically.

It was accompanied by snake Shadows that poisoned the group as the tanks shot at them. While Yukiko dispatched the snakes with "Amaterasu" and her fire, the tanks were joined by mini-tanks. The little tank Shadows were dispatched by Souji's "Odin" despite the group being blasted a thousand times by the Shadows.

Nothing seemed to be working against the big tank, so the group just bum-rushed it. The Shadow suffered from fire damage, freezing, tornados, shocks, pure energy, slices, and arrows. That got rid of the tanks.

After battling many of the various mix of Shadows from this floor and even some from the floor before, they reached another door with a strong presence.

As they opened the door after checking their equipment, Izanami said to them, "All of this has been chosen by mankind. And whatever strength you possess is still within man's scope." She exclaimed to them, "You cannot surpass me… Learn that!"

"Just wait and see!" Souji retorted.

What they came face-to-face with was one of those Shadows that had silverware flying overhead. Except the Shadow, it was colored silver with a blue face. It certainly looked menacing in Souji's eyes.

"It's really strong, guys!" Rise warned.

The Shadow started off with a nice and unhealthy dose of "Megidoloan!"

Rion followed up by piercing his card and exclaiming, "Ameno-waka-hiko!" "Debilitate!"

Souji wondered how Rion had gotten up so quickly after being blown back by all of that energy. It took him a few seconds to get up from that. It had taken all of them a few seconds.

The Shadow followed with searing flames, "Maragidyne!" That wasn't helpful at all.

Yukiko, who wasn't harmed by that second attack, split her card, "Amaterasu!" "Mediarahan!"

Souji charged himself up, "Yoshitsune!" "Power Charge!"

Kanji attacked straight out with his sword throw, "Rokuten Maoh!" "Primal Force!"

"Don't leave me out!" Yosuke exclaimed, "Susano-O!" "Brave Blade!"

Chie kicked her card, "Suzuka Gongen!" "Power Charge!"

Naoto shot her card, "Yamato Takeru!" "Mind Charge!"

Teddie exclaimed, "Kamui!" "Matarukaja!"

The Shadow struck again with "Megidoloan!"

"Well, at least it doesn't move," Souji grumbled as he got to his feet, "You better not miss."

"Yoshitsune!" "Hassou Tobi!" Souji's card was crushed to see eight sword strikes.

"Go! Suzuka Gongen!" Chie yelled, "God Hand!" The two attacks were devastating to the Shadow.

"Megidoloan!" Naoto exclaimed for her cross-dressing Persona to attack.

As the Shadow prepared to attack again, Souji yelled out, "Everyone, attack it!"

The group attacked the Persona as fast as they could. Rion was the first to reach the monster, striking first with his short blade, then his left fist. Chie's roundhouse took down some of the silverware. Souji's thrust made a hole in the box, while Yosuke's kunai made two more holes in the face. Even more holes were formed from Teddie's claws and Naoto's gunshots. The Shadow finally crumpled from blows by Kanji's scudetto.

"Woo hoo!" Chie exclaimed at seeing the dead Shadow, ignoring the burn on her jacket.

"My poor jacket," Souji muttered. He had brought an extra jacket with him because his first one was trashed by Margaret. Now his second one had been set on fire.

"Let's just keep moving," Yukiko rolled her eyes. She had obviously heard Souji mumbling.

Souji huffed at Yukiko, which made her chuckle. He had lost over ten jackets this year from fighting in this world. Yosuke just rolled his eyes and made his way up to the next floor.

Did I say there would be new Shadows? Guess what? Souji fought new Shadows on the 7th floor. It was very frustrating.

It was not as large as the last floor, but fighting a large head Shadow with long hair that fired streams of fire at Souji still could not be considered entertaining. Any hope for his jacket was lost. Souji could only shake his head as he dodged the flames.

Naoto exclaimed, "Yamato Takeru!" "Mahamaon!" The white light enveloped all of the heads.

"Well, that was exciting," Yosuke responded watching the Shadows disappear. It was subsequently punched in the arm.

It also did not help that they were also attacked by those chained lion Shadows. They looked hungry, and wanted to have Souji for a snack. So, they unleashed a bear on it, hoping that they would not knock the stuffing out of it.

Teddie exclaimed, "Kamui!" "Mabufudyne!"

The ice must have caused frostbite as all of the Shadows' limbs turned black from the cold.

They all about collapsed as they stumbled up to the 8th floor. Only a few more new Shadows for them to go.

As the group wandered along the landscape they encountered weaker versions of the Minotaur they had beaten a few areas before. Yukiko's flames and even a powered Chie would make short work of a pair of them. That is, if they were not accompanied by two other new Shadows that haunted the 8th floor.

They were both robotic Shadows, similar to the one that guarded the key card in Naoto's lab. They were either colored pink or green. The team would soon find out just how strong they really were firsthand.

As one of the green robots brought his metallic sword downwards towards Souji, he was pushed out of the way by Yosuke.

Yosuke was knocked out of commission.

"Yosuke!" Chie yelled. "That's it, you bastard!" Chie yelled at the Shadow, "Suzuka Gongen! God Hand!" The Persona took a good chunk of the robot with it as it flew down, weapon in hand.

That did not stop the Shadow from attacking again, this time, Chie. It had the same result.

Rion shook his head, "You should have waited. Ameno-waka-hiko! Debilitate!"

"Chie!" Souji had gotten up from being pushed out of the way, "Yoshitsune! Hassou Tobi!" With the added effects of "Debilitate!" the sword slices made short work of the robot.

That's where "Sameracarm!" came into effect with Yukiko's "Amaterasu". With that, Chie and Yosuke were able to stand again after returning from unconsciousness.

"Oh my god!" Souji had seen the light at the end of the tunnel. He saw the stairs. "Come on! Let's hurry!"

Unfortunately, he did not notice the dice that blocked his path.

"Souji-kun! Look out!" Yukiko yelled at him. The dice started shaking as if they were getting ready to blow.

"Cut it down!" Kanji yelled, "Rokuten Maoh!" "Primal Force!"

"No problem!" Yosuke said, "Susano-O!" "Brave Blade!"

"Count on me!" Chie exclaimed, "Go Suzuka Gongen!" "God Hand!"

Souji felt thankful that the dice did not explode. He probably would have lost his shirt to the explosion, not just his poor jacket. Souji thought about that, Yukiko might have liked that. He looked around for another dice Shadow, but alas, he could not find one.

"Let's just move on," Souji said, eventually giving up on the chance to show off.

As they walked up the stairs, there was no new floor of Shadows. Instead, a long walkway leading to…

It would have to wait for the group. The team needed a break to catch their breath and bandage their wounds. They ended up at the plaza and got gipped as usual by that fox, who Souji just found out was a girl this afternoon.

After everyone could see straight again and being able to walk without a limp, they all went back up to that floor.

As they prepared to move towards where they believed Izanami was, Rise warned, "We're finally here! Are you ready!?"

"Yes," Souji responded, "We have to finish this."

So the group steeled themselves as they walked along the red path, trying not to stare at the blue fog below.

As they made their way through, Izanami was waiting for them, floating in the middle of throne-like spires. As Souji, stood off to the side, next to Yukiko and Yosuke, they confronted the goddess.

Izanami said to them all, "Congratulations in making it this far."

Yosuke responded sarcastically, "Well thank you very much, Ms. Root of All Evil!"

"You granted certain individuals the power to enter the TVs. You created the Midnight Channel as well," Naoto confronted her, "And lastly, you started a rumor about the Midnight Channel to raise its public awareness. Am I correct?"

"All save one point," Izanami smiled, "This "Midnight Channel" you speak of… It is indeed a device to draw hearts into this world. But it was always your individual wills that would determine what appeared on it. Humans ache to expose their suppressed sides, while the prying eyes around them are curious to see them laid bare."

"Obviously," Souji muttered, "People want to see what they do not want to know."

"The want to show, and the want to see… I granted a "window" to cater to both," Izanami had that sadistic smile on her face, "That is all."

"Everyone wished to know more about the people who became famous through the media," Naoto repeated, "And the Midnight Channel was there to grant there wishes. Once the person they wanted to see entered the realm formed by human thought, they would appear even more clearly. I see… So that's how it worked."

"Are you saying… all you did was give that initial spark to Souji-senpai and the others, then watched things unfold?" Rise yelled at Izanami, "And the rumors spreading, things going wrong… We're to blame for all that happened!?"

"Well, it would be a lot easier if we would all stay dull and boring," Rion rolled his eyes, "Yet… you know how people are, in general."

"People's curiosity was at fault?" Yukiko asked.

Izanami answered, "Everything was for your sake. To create the world mankind so wanted. Man struggles to understand one another. You can truly know a finite number of people within your lifetime." Izanami lectured, "But humans disregard this fact, and try to know more people than is possible. Only by comparing yourself to others can you define yourselves. Thus your ever-present anxiety. Your anxiety causes you to see only what you want to see, and believe only what you wish to believe." She resounded, "As I said… your desire is for a world enshrouded in fog!"

"Just as we told your hideous creation," Souji responded, "That is not true!"

"I must agree that the vast majority of people are exactly as you say," Naoto told Izanami, agreeing with Rion's earlier statement.

"But we don't intend to live that way!" Chie exclaimed.

Kanji gestured, "If we were fine with the world you're making, we'd have never come this far, dammit!"

Yosuke told Izanami, "We'll keep searching for the truth and figuring out who we are, as we go on with our lives."

Souji nodded, "Isn't it that simple? Even if we don't know now, it is only a matter of time till we understand who are."

"We all will… together," Rise agreed with everyone.

Teddie added to the diatribe, "That's right! No more butting into our business!"

Yukiko told her, "We will continue to live in our world with everyone else. That's why…"

Souji finished, "We'll decide our own fate!"

The fog began to thicken around Izanami as the team prepared for battle. Souji stood at the ready as he took off his tattered jacket. Rion removed his glasses and placed them in his shirt pocket.

As they struggled to see through the ever-thickening fog, it was even worse than it was when Adachi was in the TV.

Kanji muttered when he was around Naoto and Rion, Souji thought. "Man, its hazy!"

They all turned as an influx of power came from the side. Souji saw the outline of someone huge. As it came into focus, it was silver-ish with black hair, arms crossed, wearing a dress-like thing, and a red visor over its eyes.

Chie exclaimed, "Shit! It's huge!"

Yosuke responded, "Come on! You know we've been on way worse than this thing. This is just the send off Souji deserves!"

The rest of them nodded.

"Alright everyone," Souji said, "I don't care if it's a damn goddess or the damn empress! Let's kick its ass!"

So the battle against Izanami began.

_Knowledge of the truth is not everything. Yet drunk with truth, you exceeded your role, and became too involved. Now, learn for yourselves whose wrath you have brought down."_

"I don't care," Souji said, "Let's just get this over with."

"We're not just fighting to solve this case anymore!" Chie yelled.

"_Then come, sinful sons of man!" _Izanami taunted.

Souji started off first, "Yoshitsune!" "Power Charge!"

Rion followed up, "Ameno-waka-hiko!" "Debilitate!"

Kanji boosted the defense, "Rokuten Maoh!" "Matarukaja!"

Chie was next, "Suzuka Gongen!" "Power Charge!"

Naoto shot her card, "Yamato Takeru!" "Mind Charge!"

Teddie was next, "Kamui!" "Marakukaja!"

Yosuke boosted their skills, "Susano-O! Masukukaja!"

Yukiko was the first to deal damage to the goddess with searing flames, "Amaterasu!" "Agidyne!"

It was Izanami's turn as she used "Maziodyne!" to try and break the will of the pitiful people that dared to challenge her.

Souji and Rion pushed Teddie away from the lightning strikes. It would hurt Kanji, Rion, and Souji the least… so it was natural for two of the three to push Teddie away from the fight.

Then the second turn of attacks came around.

Chie attacked first, "Suzuka Gongen!" "God Hand!" as the Persona slammed into goddess.

Yukiko attacked again, "Amaterasu!" "Agidyne!" The flames seared the goddess.

Yosuke forgo the wind, "Susano-O!" "Brave Blade!"

Kanji threw his sword, "Rokuten Maoh!" "Primal Force!"

Naoto proved why she charged earlier, "All yours! Megidoloan!"

Teddie sent wintry cold at the mother of Japan, "Kamui!" "Mabufudyne!"

Rion and Souji attacked at the same time, "Ameno-waka-hiko! Yoshitsune!" "Hassou Tobi!"

Izanami did not like the maggots attacking her… not at all.

She said to them, _"What's the matter? Did you intend to defeat me with such pitiful strength?"_

She followed up with "Megidoloan!" The pure energy blew through the team.

The searing pain that Souji felt from that attack was immense, but he stood his ground. He was not going to lose this fight because of such a weak attack."

The team continued to charge or attack. Souji, Naoto, Rion, and Chie charged, while Teddie, Kanji, and Yosuke attacked with "Bufudyne!" "Primal Force!" and "Brave Blade!" respectively. Yukiko healed with "Mediarahan!"

A hitch in the plan, stopping the charged Persona-users from attacking when Izanami used "Mind Charge!" to prepare something.

Rise warned, "This might be something bad!"

"Everyone guard!" Rion warned.

So, they abandoned plans of doing major damage, and shielded themselves as Izanami let loose another "Megidoloan!" that did a lot more damage due to her charging. The shielding saved the group from death.

This time, the team let loose with their attacks, except for one member.

"Ameno-waka-hiko!" "Debilitate!" Rion changed his battle plan for maximum damage on the goddess.

"Suzuka Gongen!" "God Hand!" Chie continued her damage.

Yukiko attacked with her flames, "Amaterasu!" "Agidyne!"

Yosuke attacked as well, "Susano-O!" "Brave Blade!"

Kanji's chair slammed into the card, "Here now! Primal Force!"

Naoto's card was full of holes by now, "Yamato Takeru!" "Megidoloan!"

Teddie healed the team, "Mediarahan!"

Souji finished the attacks, "Yoshitsune!" "Hassou Tobi!" He watched the two swords slice and dice into the goddess.

All of this damage being put on Izanami, she was not happy, so she said to them, _"You cannot atone so easily for your foolish pride in stepping into the realm of the gods."_

She followed with a "Mabufudyne!" after her statement.

That attack required Souji to dive in front of Yukiko, and Naoto to push Rion out of the way. Souji still had icicles on his clothes from that.

And so the cycle began again with charges, flames, ice, blades, or thrown swords. Occasional healing from Izanami's attacks and after the charges, the goddess suffered from pure energy blasts, slams, arrows, and multiple swords attacks.

When Izanami suddenly drooped down, all of them tried to pound Izanami into the ground with their own personal weapons. Whether they be kicks, longswords, ninjato, kunai, chairs, fans, even guns; they weapons had no effect on the goddess. She just continued to use "Megidoloan!" or attacks like "Mabufudyne!"

"Damn!" Souji yelled. He thought, "Why won't she die!?"

Izanami questioned them, _"Can you not understand? It is impossible to beat me!"_

As nothing worked, even as they continued to try and fight her, Izanami continued, _"You understand nothing, I see. Ignorant mortals!"_

Souji shook his head. Nothing was getting through. He could not win this way. He remembered that Igor said that this Orb of Sight was "A crystal of power which he had nurtured throughout their journey. An orb that helps him to dispel lies and things that was not true." Margaret had said something like, "Truth is a thing which only appears to those who have observed, considered, and made a choice. At the end of the path you chose lies the truth… Believe in it, and continue without faltering."

As Souji held up the Orb of Sight, Izanami's form began changing. They could see what she really looked like. It seemed her form had not changed from what Edogawa had explained to them as Souji sat in that oil-slicked seat.

"_Well then… Allow me to show you my full splendor. I am a goddess. I'll teach you the truth of your miniscule existences,"_ Izanami told them in new form.

She looked more like a skeleton than anything else. Red, gangly and ugly, she was.

"A goddess!" Kanji yelled at her, "Bring it on!"

Izanami rebuked Kanji, _"You cannot defeat me with strength alone. Soon, you will understand."_

The fight would soon begin, and it would be very painful… At least they would be confident.

"We just won the toughest fight in our life!" Souji told them. He was talking about the fight against Margaret. "Let's make her cry!"

Rion started off with his speedy Persona, "Ameno-waka-hiko!" "Debilitate!" As Ameno-waka-hiko appeared, you could see Rion was not smirking anymore. He was not joking around now.

Souji charged his Persona as usual, "Yoshitsune!" "Power Charge!" Souji's Persona stood in front of him, ready to face this monstrosity.

Kanji was the next to go, "Rokuten Maoh!" "Matarukaja!"

Now Chie charged her Persona, "Suzuka Gongen!" "Power Charge!"

Naoto charged hers as well, "Yamato Takeru!" "Mind Charge!"

Yosuke sped them up, "Susano-O!" "Masukukaja!"

Teddie boosted them like a rock, "Kamui!" "Marakukaja!"

Yukiko took the challenge to heart, "Burn!" "Agidyne!"

Yet, Izanami started the pain, "Mind Charge!" "Marakunda!" She negated Teddie's work.

Rise yelled out to them, "Guys!" "This is going to be trouble!"

"Guard!" Souji exclaimed.

Everyone shifted to a position where they felt they could survive a blow, whether it was a knee or sword in front of them, or arms crossed.

Izanami attacked, "Megidoloan!" The searing pain still almost destroyed the team. The attack knocked them out of their positions, so she followed up with "Mabufudyne!" Souji could not get to Yukiko in time, so she was frozen in place. In fact, so was Rion. His arm was turning to black. Izanami attacked again, using "Kuro Ikazuchi!" That lightning attack which was a circular rage of shock knocked Teddie down. His fur was burned and scorched. She followed up with "Dekunda!" She had negated Rion's work.

"Guys! Senpai!" Rise was hysterical, "You're really hurt!"

She was right, Souji was blacking out from pain. Yukiko was still frozen in place and Yosuke was bleeding all over the place. Chie had no ice shards in her, but the energy and lightning had taken its toll on her. Teddie suffered the worst from the lightning, while Rion's arms were suffering from frostbite. Naoto felt like she was going to be sick. That may have been from the internal injuries from when she hit the floor at high speed. Kanji probably had suffered the least, only because his chair did a good job of blocking the energy bomb.

Souji had to turn into the de facto healer, even if he was barely conscious. He tried to find the right card. He pulled one out, "Ishtar!" "Salvation!"

Souji sighed in relief as the saw his friends and teammate slowly break free from their frozen state, or heal from their wounds.

Unfortunately, Izanami attacked again. "Masukunda!" "Stagnant Air!"

"G…Guard!" Rion got out eventually. Rion knew it had to be bad, and Souji had to agree.

"You heard him!" Souji responded, "Protect yourself!"

So the team tried to guard again, and Izanami attacked again. She used an attack where a cesspool formed underneath them, "Summons to Yomi!" Luckily, it worked and no was hurt. Unfortunately, her next attack, "Magarudyne!" did a good amount of damage.

Rion opened the door for some damage, "Rise and Resurrect!" "Debilitate!"

Souji brought forth the pain, "Yoshitsune!" "Hassou Tobi!"

Chie was next, "Suzuka Gongen!" "God Hand!"

Naoto released her charge, "All yours!" "Megidoloan!"

Kanji released his frustration, "Persona!" "Primal Force!"

Yosuke attacked, "Throwdown!" "Brave Blade!"

Teddie clawed his card, "Bearsona!" "Bufudyne!"

Yukiko healed the damage, "Amaterasu!" "Mediarahan!"

Izanami didn't like gnats bugging her, so… she attacked with… "Fury of Yasogami!" That was her raking those big claws of her all over the team. Souji thought that was unpleasant indeed. Especially when she followed it up with "Maragidyne!"

"Thank god that I already had lost my jacket," Souji thought, "Yukiko is going to have to heal us again."

The team began to charge their Personas again, while Teddie healed the group with "Mediarahan!" The only damage came from "Primal Force!" courtesy of Kanji and Yukiko's "Agidyne!" They would have to start boosting their defense and speed again.

They would not be able to attack with their charged Personas because Izanami used her own "Mind Charge!" and then screwed over Teddie with a "Debilitate!" of her own.

So, the group guarded again when she used "Megidoloan!" again, followed by "Mabufudyne!" followed by "Maziodyne!" followed by "Magarudyne!" followed by "Dekunda!"

Man, did life suck for Souji. He had to summon Ishtar again. "Mediarahan!" At least he felt himself get better. He saw Yukiko revive Rion from his unconscious state. Rion did not like wind or ice. Teddie, Yosuke, and Kanji all boosted the group's stats with the various "kaja" skills.

Souji was sick of being knocked around. "Screw you!" Souji yelled as Izanami prepared to use some kind of magic, "Yoshitsune!" "Hassou Tobi!"

As the sword strikes hit Izanami, she felt the pain course through her body.

"_The stage is already set for your demise… I'll end your lives right here,"_ Izanami proclaimed after taking the damage.

Izanami started off with another "Fury of Yasogami!" and then "Kuro Ikazuchi!" That involved Kanji or Sensei jumping in front of Teddie to negate the damage.

It would become a battle of wills for a while. With Izanami forcing guards with her charged "Megidoloan!" or whenever she cast "Stagnant Air!" followed by "Galgalim Eyes!" and then "Summons to Yomi!"

Whenever they were not guarding from weaknesses or pure power, Souji was charging or attacking, Rion was weakening her or attempting to get in his own attack, Yosuke was attacking or speeding them up, Yukiko was mainly healing, Chie was attacking, Kanji was either attacking or strengthening them, Teddie was either using magic, healing, or boosting defense, while Naoto charged and used magic.

Even when Izanami was not forcing them to guard, she still used "Debilitate!" often enough, along with "Maragidyne!" "Fury of Yasogami!" and "Megidoloan!"

With more damage caused by the charged "Hassou Tobi!" by both "Ameno-waka-hiko" and "Yoshitsune", Izanami told them, _"The time has come for us to end this!"_

"Don't listen to her!" Souji responded as he told the other Persona-users, "We can still kick her ass!"

"You bet!" Yosuke responded.

Of course, she followed off with "Megidoloan!"

"Here we go," Souji said, "Helel!" "Morning Star!" His retaliation of pure energy was even more powerful than Izanami's.

Yosuke had cut through his card, "Susano-O!" "Brave Blade!" "Take this!" Even though, he was tired… he was going to finish her off.

"Persona!" "God Hand!" Chie's attack hid the fact that she was actually really tired.

Rion started to smirk again even with the blood running down his face, "Persona! Megidoloan!"

Naoto seconded that attack, "Persona! Megidoloan!"

Yukiko wanted to make her suffer as she breathed heavily, "Hear me Amaterasu!" "Agidyne!"

Kanji had thrown his chair and was ignoring his wounds, "Rokuten Maoh!" "Primal Force!"

Teddie's fur would need sewing as he attacked, "Bearsona!" "Bufudyne!"

"Go…," Yosuke said as Rion nodded, looking at Souji. Souji ran at Izanami, but again, the attack did not do anything to her.

Izanami said to them, _"Goodbye… Accept the reality of your death!"_

Izanami used an attack called "Thousand Curses!" and it aimed right at Souji. It surrounded Souji, and the arms tried to grab him from below and drag him to Yomi.

"Oh my god!" Souji would yell when Chie pushed Souji out of the way.

"Chie!" Yosuke yelled.

"Chie-senpai! No!" Rise yelled as well.

Izanami used it again, and again it was aimed at Souji. This time, Teddie jumped in front of the attack.

"Teddie!" Rise yelled.

"Teddie…," Souji muttered.

Rion, Kanji, and Souji all tried to shake off what happened by bringing their weapons to bear. Sword slashes and chairs to the skeleton had no effects on Izanami.

Unfortunately for the team, "Thousand Curses!" was used again.

Souji felt scared when he saw the arms try to grab him, only to see Kanji push him out of the way.

"Kanji-kun!" Rise yelled.

The attack was coming again, and he thought Naoto was coming for him when Rion shoved Souji out of the way. "Figures…," Souji thought, "But oh god, they're all dying…"

"R… Rion-kun…," Rise was losing it.

Souji didn't have the heart to attack anymore as Izanami used "Thousand Curses!" again.

Now Naoto risked and gave herself for Souji as the arms were closer than ever to getting him.

"Naoto-kun!" Rise yelled.

"Why can't we stop this!?" Souji yelled at himself.

Only Yukiko was left with Souji, and he knew what was coming. They were going to die together.

As Izanami aimed "Thousand Curses!" at Souji, he was not going to let Yukiko push him out of the way. He was going to die on his own. But, she still managed to catch him off guard as she said, "Sorry, Souji… This looks like it's the end."

"Damn it all!" Souji yelled, "You're going to die you fucking bitch!"

Izanami just laughed as she said, _"It's unfortunate that our battle must end this way."_

The arms grabbed a hold of Souji as "Thousand Curses!" took him to Yomi. He cried out in pain as Rise exclaimed, "No… Get up! We came so far!"

Souji felt himself… He was dead right. He felt himself awake. He was in that same foggy world he awoke in all that time ago. Yet, he was still losing his life. "Am I going to die here? To Izanami?"

He looked up slightly as he heard a voice as Margaret appeared in front of him. She said in that same voice, except demanding, "What are you doing!? Get up! You are not allowed to fall here! You must know already. The nature of bonds… What bonds give to you…? Here, listen closely."

"I'll try," Souji muttered.

Next person to appear was Dojima as he asked, "What's the matter, Souji? Isn't it a little early to give up?"

"Maybe," Souji responded.

"You taught me what a family really is. I had my hands full with just Nanako when you came in," Dojima chuckled, "I didn't know what to do. But then again, I can get back up again no matter how many times as I need to with you two with me… However painful it gets, I'll just grit my teeth… I'll get up as many times as I have too for you two. A father can be pretty stupid that way, huh?"

Yosuke appeared in front of Souji, "Don't go, Souji. Everything inside of me changed after I met you. I'm… glad we met. I wouldn't have made it half this far if I hadn't done it alongside you."

"Like I would have done any better if you weren't there," Souji answered.

"You can't let it end this way, right?" Yosuke asked, "You can keep going… Right, Souji?"

Yosuke disappeared and Chie appeared in front of Souji, "No, Souji-kun… Don't leave me! I'm scared! I'm such a stubborn, two-faced coward. But… you understood me. That's why… I can become as strong as I need to be."

Souji said, "Me too."

His girlfriend appeared when Chie disappeared. She said to Souji slowly, "Hey, Souji-kun… Can you hear me? Don't close your eyes yet. I'll give you our strength. You are our last hope. Please… get back up, one more time."

"I'm trying…," Souji tried to tell her.

Souji saw Rion, still standing, but bent knees to try and talk to him. He said, "Are you planning on lying there all day? We all sacrificed ourselves here, and here you go, acting like me… lazy as none other. Even though you taught me not to rush ahead, this time… it is all on you this time, Souji. Don't make one of us do it for you… we'll help you succeed you bum."

"You're a typical jackass right up until the end," Souji chuckled, "Just… like… me."

Kanji just chuckled at him, "Yo Senpai, how much longer are you just gonna lie there? You ain't like that, Senpai… You're not the kinda guy who can let it drop like this. That ain't the Souji-senpai I look up to. Get back up… Just one more time… Let me protect you."

"You're protecting me, Kanji?" Souji mumbled.

Rise appeared in front of Souji as her sweet voice said to him, "Senpai… Thanks… I'm glad I came to this town… When I think back to all the fun I had with you. Senpai… Please stand up one more time. We'll be your strength."

"It was fun, wasn't it," Souji shook his head.

Naoto was nearly in tears when she talked to Souji, "S… Senpai… If you stay down… I won't forgive you. You gave me a reason to stay here. For someone like you to leave me halfway in the dark like this… Souji-san… Please, stand up, just once more. Let's fight this together. Never fear… We're always together."

"We are always together, aren't we?" Souji thought. He was thinking a lot.

He thought he was done of seeing people as everyone who could see Personas had left except for furry people, but then Kou and Daisuke came by.

Kou said to him, "What's the matter, Souji? You gonna let this all end here? C'mon, you're not alone in this? Just like Daisuke and I. We won't let you do this alone."

His favorite person to skip class with even showed up to cheer him on, "You gotta be joking, Souji. Don't you care that I won't be able to take another step forward if you disappear? I can't be friends with someone who'd do that to me."

Shock and surprise came next when the drama girl showed up. If she was showing, then Souji really was in trouble and about to die, "You idiot! Always insisting on doing everything by yourself. Some things you can only do because you're not alone. It doesn't matter if it's a boyfriend, friend, or family. You'll always have to part someday. But… our bonds means we never have truly say farewell."

Finally, Teddie showed up.

"Sensei… I'll… protect you, Sensei. You gave me my life. You're important to me. I'm not alone anymore… And neither are you, Sensei. I'm sure together, we can do things that no one could do alone."

"You're right," Souji said.

Finally, he was almost hoping to see this person, and she arrived.

Nanako called out to him, "Hey… Big bro! Are you going to leave me behind!? I'll be a good girl. So don't go… I don't want you to go… Big bro."

Nanako slowly faded away.

Souji felt new strength in himself as he thought, "I must get up… for Nanako, for Dojima, for Teddie, for Yukiko, and everyone else. With all of them, I can beat that bitch!"

He slowly got to his feet, supporting himself with his arms. The blue fire of his Personas grew stronger. That Izanagi he had been harboring for all this time, making stronger, had suddenly evolved. The bancho had developed into a much more deadly weapon and the armor seemed more protective. Souji was ready to face his fate one more time as he stood tall and strong.

He had returned to the battleground to face the goddess, Izanami. He was all alone, but this time… He had everyone's will inside him. He was not alone, and they were all together as one to defeat her.

"You are going to hell, you bitch!" Souji yelled.

Izanami tried to use "Thousand Curses!" on Souji again.

This time, as the festering arms tried to grab Souji, they were unsuccessful in taking him down to Yomi.

Izanami was dumbfounded to say the least, _"Impossible… Can the will of so few surpass the will of all mankind!?"_

Izanami attacked using a variation on one of her other attacks with "Oho Ikazuchi!"

The lightning burned Souji, but Souji shook off the pain. Souji was just happy that his jacket had already been burnt off before. He did not need burns from over 10,000 volts running through his body being shown through that coat.

Izanami tried again with "Oho Ikazuchi!"

Souji again shook off the pain. It hurt tremendously, but with everyone at his side… There was no way in hell he could let them down. He just did not want to die after all of this.

Izanami asked in shock, _"How can your powers rival mine!?_"

Souji responded, "Because you pissed the wrong people off! Mankind!"

Again, she tried "Oho Ikazuchi!" and the results against Souji Seta were the same.

Souji's hair was starting to smell kind of burnt, but he stayed on his feet.

And again, Izanami attacked, and Souji still stood his ground.

Izanami pleaded in wonder, _"Why!? Why don't you humans understand? It's impossible for humans to understand the truth with their own hands."_

It was Souji who finally understood the truth. He understood that he could not do it alone. He knew that no one could know everything, even if some people seem to act like they do. Souji would be the one out of the three she gave the power to… it was a mistake to give the power to him. Her mistake, to give him the power of Izanagi.

Souji threw off his glasses just before he crushed his card, "Per… So… Na!" "Myriad Truths!"

The new Izanagi came forth to confront the wicked Izanami. Husband and wife… were finally reunited… Izanagi spun his bancho, and the energy that came forth sent a wave of power that brought Izanami to her proverbial "knees".

When his Persona, Izanagi disappeared. Souji was rejoined, thankfully, by all of his teammates. He wouldn't say it, but he more than delighted.

The whole group saw Izanami slouched over in front of them. Izanami struggled to get up, to no avail. She said to them, "This can't be. How could I be defeated? How am I to be the one to disappear? Instead of the endless struggle, wouldn't it be easier to wrap oneself in lies and live in blissful ignorance? Isn't that true peace for humans?"

"Maybe for you, it is," Souji told Izanami, trying to fix his scorched hair.

"How many times do we have to tell you!? The hell with that shit!" Kanji exclaimed.

"Stop assuming you know us!" Chie responded.

Izanami laughed, "Very well… Then try and live your way. Power enough to erase my existence. You have far exceeded what I thought humanity would be capable of. You have lifted the fog in this world, as well as the fog in your own. Whether that leads to happiness or not, rests upon your shoulders."

"Good thing I have broad shoulders," Souji muttered.

Izanami started disappearing through red particles. As she was doing so, she said to them, "Children of man… Well done!"

Souji heard one last thing from Izanami in his head as she disappeared from sight, "This isn't over, husband…"

As the team faced to turn each other, Souji and Yukiko together as always… Yosuke at his side, Kanji yelled in excitement, "Alright! We did it!"

"Thank goodness!" Rise said in relief.

Yukiko smiled, "It's really over now…"

Chie said happily, "Yep! This time it's all over!"

Rion rolled his eyes, "Unless there's some other god or goddess that we have missed somewhere." That only resulted in him getting hit by both Rise and Naoto.

Naoto said after hitting Rion, "This seems more like a beginning for us, though."

"The start of a new day, and a new year," Souji nodded.

Yosuke smiled, "Well now, we've got no more regrets for tomorrow."

Everyone huddled in towards Souji. His claustrophobia was setting in. Well, thank god he was not claustrophobic.

"I can't believe… we did this… everything… with all of you," Souji said, "It's been amazing what we have accomplished."

Just like that, Souji appeared in his room that showcased his favorite color of velvet. Well, if it was not his favorite color of velvet before, blue certainly became so quickly enough. "I guess I'm done fighting, so…," Souji thought.

Igor laughed, "How marvelous… You have driven back a godly being, and brought forth a new world." Igor gestured to Souji, "This will be the last time we summon you here."

Souji nodded, "I figured as much."

Margaret explained, "Soon, the fog will lift, and our destination will be visible. We will be arriving shortly."

Igor said to him, "This journey was a fruitful one, worthy of marking a turning point in your destiny."

"I wholeheartedly agree," Souji nodded as he thought about his friends, Yukiko, and how he had changed as a whole.

"Many a time along the way did fog of lies prevent you from moving forth. Yet in every instance, you overcame easy exits and false temptations. In forging bonds with those precious to you, you moved closer to the truth, one step at a time. And my heart danced with delight to see you succeed. I am most honored to have borne witness to such a wondrous journey."

Margaret told the pair, "Our destination is close at hand now."

Igor said, "Well then, we have finally come to your journey's true end. Our contract has been fulfilled. My own duties here end as well. You were truly a remarkable guest."

"Thank you," Souji nodded.

Igor nodded and said, "Now go forth, and see with your own eyes. See the world you have won… The bright, magnificent future."

Souji slowly left the Velvet Room from his psyche. He wondered what world he had created from defeating Izanami. He would soon find out, and he would not be disappointed.

Souji's first view… Flowers! There were blossoming flowers among waterfalls. Clean and pure water with endless amounts of flowing green grass.

Teddie said in amazement, "The fog is… all gone."

"It's… beautiful...," Souji said.

"It's nice," Yukiko said.

"It feels kind of…," Chie couldn't find the words.

Most of the group was searching for words to use for its splendor.

"I know this place," Teddie proclaimed.

"You do have memories," Souji smiled.

Teddie said, "A long, long time ago. Everyone in this world used to look like this."

Yukiko walked up next to Souji and Teddie and said, "So this is the world inside people's hearts."

"These are the people who fall in love," Rion smiled. That got him a few smiles, including one from Souji.

"This feels so nice," Rise said, resting his head on Rion's shoulder.

"Yeah…," Souji said as Yukiko did the same. A small swing on the background waved back on forth with the slight breeze.

----

Okay…

Sorry… This took forever because I wrote about 10 papers over the last 2 weeks.

Regardless, I have one chapter left, and it should be the shortest one. There is a very small tidbit within the chapter you read regarding the next story of mine. So, I hope you enjoyed.


	32. Chapter 32

Novelization of Persona 4 Chapter 32

I own nothing of Persona, SMT, or anything related.

This is the last chapter. Wow… huh? The last one… Isn't that a shocker? It should be very short unless I somehow draw it out by making it endlessly sappy, which I doubt I will.

---

Souji could not sleep tonight. He rubbed his arm as he lay in his futon. He shook his head as he finally checked his watch. His lit watch read 2 A.M. He had been lying in his futon for hours.

It really hit him that he was leaving today as he looked at his watch. Souji knew yesterday that he had one day as he said his goodbyes, but he still had something to do with his friends. They fought and nearly died trying to defeat Izanami. Everyone nearly gave their lives trying to defeat her. For who… for Souji, they threw themselves in front of certain death. Yosuke, Chie, Kanji, Teddie, Rion, Naoto, and even Yukiko all did so. He knew Rise would have jumped in front of him as well if she wasn't so far away from him at the time.

It had distracted Souji when seeing that beautiful place that was the fog-laden TV world. He could have stayed there forever, especially with Yukiko. That world… who could have imagined waterfalls, bubbling brooks, and flowing grass would be under all that fog and mayhem.

Yet, here he stood at 2 A.M, awake, and only a couple of hours from a train departure. The fact that his friends would be getting up for him to see him off is a sign of their friendship in its own. At the beginning of the year, he doubted he would do the same for one of the others. Yet, Souji would have been first in line if he had to send someone off. He chuckled at the thought that he would not be there to say goodbye to Rion. "He'll be heartbroken," Souji thought, chuckling, "He'll be one of those to be glad to see me gone." Laughing even louder, he fell asleep.

---

Souji overslept and had to be woken up by Nanako in the morning.

"Big bro! You're gonna miss your train!" Nanako yelled.

Souji opened his eyes as he looked at his watch. It read 6:40, "Oh Shit! I am going to miss the train!"

Souji threw the last four of his non-burnt or cut through jackets into his black duffle bag and ran downstairs. He grabbed a plate of toast from Nanako and quickly started eating.

Nanako looked sad, and who could blame her? Souji would be sad if he was in Nanako's shoes. He felt a little sad too for that matter.

He checked his watch again as he finished off a piece of toast, "I need to run!" he thought.

Souji, Dojima, and Nanako made their way to Yasoinaba Station via Dojima's new car. The old one had lost in a duel against Namatame's truck. Souji got out of the car with Dojima taking his luggage and he met with his friends who were waiting for him. Yukiko was standing straight in front of him and Rise was to her right as Naoto was straight to her left. Yosuke was to the extreme left and Rion was to the extreme right only flanked by Dojima. His other friends were filling in between.

As Souji stood by, Yosuke said to them, "Yo… well this is it."

Souji nodded, "Yeah. It's unfortunate."

Chie answered, "You really are leaving, huh? It really hasn't hit me yet."

"N… No more Souji-senpai from tomorrow on…," Rise was getting emotional, as usual, "Wahh!"

Souji rolled his eyes as he wondered what would happen when she saw Rion off.

The rest of them had rolled their eyes too. Kanji shook his head and said to her, "Hey, quit crying! It's way too soon for that!"

"But…!" Rise sniffled.

Kanji rubbed his nose, "Sheesh… Th… That stuff's kinda contagious, ya know? You gotta put on a good face for Senpai."

Rise stopped crying as they all stood tall for Souji.

Nanako looked at her cousin and said solemnly, "Big bro…"

"Yes?" Souji asked as he turned.

Nanako had trouble talking at first. She finally said quickly, "I don't want you to go away." Nanako ran up and hugged her Big bro.

"Me either," Souji responded. He wanted to stay here with his friends, and his little sister. He probably should go back to his parents though.

Dojima told Nanako soothingly, "Nanako… Didn't you promise that you wouldn't cry?"

Nanako let go of Souji and turned back to Dojima. His uncle said to him, "Building a case against Adachi is going pretty smoothly. After all, he's confessed to all of his crimes. There haven't been any more incidents since then. Inaba is finally back to its normal, peaceful self." Dojima patted his daughter on the head, "And Nanako's better now too. I couldn't ask for anything more. Thanks for everything. To me, you're just as much of the family as Nanako. I'm really glad you came to stay with us."

Souji nodded and said to Dojima, "It was my pleasure." He thought, "And to think I hated being here when I first came."

Teddie walked up to Souji and said, "Sensei… I've finally found a place for me. That's why… I'm going back over there."

"Are you sure?" Souji asked. He was a little surprise.

"To make sure it never goes wrong again. I'm going to protect that world from now on. I can finally be proud and say… That world is where I belong," Teddie told him.

"You'll do great," Souji said.

Kanji told him, "Man, Senpai… This town is going to feel empty without you."

Teddie looked at Kanji, "How cruel! Were you even listening!?"

"I doubt anyone was," Rion smiled.

"We can see you anytime we want, you dork!" Yosuke responded.

Chie smiled as well as she said, "Like you'll be gone long. As soon as you start craving something like ice cream, you'll be back in a flash."

Teddie put on his charm as he said, "C… C'mon my honeys. Bluffing that way isn't very cute, you know?" It resulted in Souji rolling his eyes.

Yosuke responded, "You're just gonna be going in and out of the TV in Junes. How's that different from what you've been doing before?"

Naoto walked up to Souji and said, "Feel free to call anytime, even if there isn't a case to solve."

"I will," Souji answered.

Rion walked up to Souji as he told his partner, "If you ever need help with anything… just ask, unless you want me to take your exams."

Souji had to chuckle at that.

Yosuke said from the semi-circle, "I don't feel like saying goodbye either. Hey, you got any plans during the long holiday in May? If you're free, come over and visit. With no mysteries to solve, we can have some real fun!"

Yukiko smiled at Souji, "I'll make reservations now so that we can stay at my family's inn."

Teddie had a sinister look on his face as he said, "Ooh, I can get my revenge for that night. Our surprise sneak attack will work for sure this time!"

Souji, Yosuke, Kanji looked nervous. Rion rolled his eyes, while the girls looked confused.

Kanji exclaimed, "D… Don't bring that up, you stupid bear! Hey, what happened to going back to that world!?"

Teddie answered, "That has nothing to do with this! It's entirely different!"

The group started laughing in varying degrees.

Dojima looked at Souji and told him, "It's almost time. You'd better get on the train."

Yukiko looked at Souji, quickly walked up to him, and gave her boyfriend a quick hug. He did not want to let go, and neither did Yukiko. This would be the saddest part. He eventually let go, and walked away.

Next to the ticket booths were Kou, Daisuke, Ai, and even Yumi. They all wished them farewells if it was to eat ramen again and crashing at his place or helping out if he came back. They all thanked Souji for visiting.

Souji nodded as he made his way to the train.

"This is it," Souji said as he was on the platform.

"Well, see ya," Yosuke said.

"Good luck over there, too," Yukiko said to Souji, trying not to cry.

"If you need anything, we'll come running," Chie told him.

Naoto said, "Until we meet again, Senpai."

"We'll be waiting for you, Senpai," Kanji nodded.

"See ya… Take care," Rise said.

"We will see each other soon," Rion said.

"I'll be looking forward to seeing you again," Teddie said.

Dojima said, "Be careful."

"I'll see ya, Big bro. Goodbye," Nanako smiled.

"Thank you," Souji responded, "I'll miss you all."

Souji slowly got onto the train and it seemed to shake everyone in the group as they started running.

"Thank you everything! Stay well until we meet again someday! I love you!" Yukiko yelled as the train sped up.

Teddie ran as he yelled, "You'll always be my Sensei forever!"

"Please don't forget about us over there!" Naoto yelled as she barely holding onto hat as she was running.

"Goodbye Senpai!" Rise yelled.

"Take care!" Rion yelled.

Kanji yelled, "I'll do my best! You better not run away too, Senpai!"

Chie yelled, "I'll always remember our time together!"

Yosuke yelled, "Distance doesn't matter to us! Even if we're separated, we're still friends!"

Souji nodded as it was pointless to say anything to them.

They continued to run after the train and yell well wishes at Souji until the platform disappeared.

"He's really gone," Yosuke said as the train had disappeared from view.

"It's sad," Chie said, "But we'll be okay, right guys?"

Teddie answered, "Doesn't matter how far apart we are… The bonds we made will remain strong… Everyone's heart is connected to the people we know and trust. It's those bonds that allow us to search for our purpose in life. As long as it's a purpose you believe in, there will always be someone who can help you fulfill it."

Souji sat down and put away his black bag luggage. He sighed. He wouldn't be able to see his friends for a long time. Souji had friends waiting for him when he got back, but he wouldn't see his "friends" until he came back.

He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a picture they had taken only a few days earlier. Yosuke, Souji, Rion, and Kanji were in the back. Teddie, Naoto, Chie, Rise, and Yukiko were in the foreground. They were all smiling together.

Igor said this would a turning point in his life, and it did change his life. He gained many friends he could call his "best". He solved a mystery that could have destroyed the world, and fought a goddess. He was represented by a god. Souji found a girlfriend that he had never felt a bond with before. He could definitely consider it a turning point in his life.

All because of a handshake…

Fin

---

That was fun, though it did interfere with my schedule at the end.

I'd like to thank the people who reviewed basically every chapter, over and over.

Kisdota- The Game Freak

Duelist of Dawn

I'm going to start working on an "Answer" based P4 work. I think I will like having a lot more freedom in my writing, and hope it turns out okay.


End file.
